• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2339-2358
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• 2022

The review discusses various alternative approaches for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) reprocessing in aqueous carbonate media. The main stages, schemes, and methods of the most well-known and well-described processes for reprocessing SNF and some high-level radioactive waste using carbonate systems developed by research groups in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation described and compared. The main advantages of such methods are outlined compared to the SNF reprocessing in nitric acid media. The levels of development and proximity of the designed processes to the industrial implementation are shown. The main principle achievements, prospects, and routes for the refinement of such methods for the technology of SNF reprocessing and handling of high-level radioactive waste formulated.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.529-541
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• 2009

Hydrochemical, stable isotopic ($\delta^{18}O$ and dD) and noble gas isotopic analyses of seven hot spring water samples, eleven groundwater samples and six surface water samples collected from the Icheon and Pocheon area were carried out to find out hydrochemical characteristics, and to interpret the source of noble gases and the geochemical evolution of the hot spring waters. The hot spring waters show low temperature type ranging from 21.5 to $31.4^{\circ}C$ and the pH value between 6.69 and 9.21. Electrical conductivity of hot spring waters has the range from 310 to $735\;{\mu}S/cm$. Whereas the hot spring water in the Icheon area shows the geochemical characteristics of neutral pH, the $Ca-HCO_3$(or $Ca(Na)-HCO_3$) chemical type and a high uranium content, the hot spring water in the Pocheon area shows the characteristics of alkaline pH, the $Na-HCO_3$ chemical type and a high fluorine content. These characteristics indicate that the hot spring water in the Icheon area is under the early stage in the geochemical evolution, and that the hot spring water in the Pocheon area has been geochemically evolved. The $\delta^{18}O$ and ${\delta}D$ values of hot spring waters show the range of $-10.1{\sim}-8.69%o$ and from $-72.2{\sim}-60.8%o$, respectively, and these values supply the information of the recharge area of hot spring waters. The $^3He/^4He$ ratios of the hot spring waters range from $0.09\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ to $0.65\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ which are plotted above the mixing line between air and crustal components. Whereas the helium gas in the Icheon hot spring water was mainly provided from the atmospheric source mixing with the mantle(or magma) origin, the origin of helium gas in the Pocheon hot spring water shows a dominant crustal source. $^{40}Ar/^{36}Ar$ ratios of hot spring water are in the range of an atmosphere source.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.123-134
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• 2012

Hydrochemical analyses, carbon isotopic (${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$) analyses, and noble gas isotopic ($^3He/^4He$ and $^4He/^{20}Ne$) analyses of the Dalki carbonate waters in the Chungsong area were carried out to elucidate their hydrochemical composition and to determine the source of $CO_2$ gas and noble gases. The carbonate waters have a pH of between 5.93 and 6.33, and an electrical conductivity 1950 to $3030{\mu}S/cm$. The chemical composition of all carbonate waters was Ca(Mg)-$HCO_3$, with a high Na content. The contents of Fe, Mn, and As in some carbonate waters exceed the limit stipulated for drinking water. The concentrations of major ions are slightly higher than those reported previously. The ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ values range from -6.70‰ to -4.47‰, indicating that the carbon originated from a deep-seated source. The $^3He/^4He$ and $^4He/^{20}Ne$ ratios vary from $7.67{\times}10^{-6}$ to $8.38{\times}10^{-6}$ and from 21.32 to 725.7, respectively. On the $^3He/^4He$ versus $^4He/^{20}Ne$ diagram, the noble gas isotope ratios plot in the field of a deep-seated source, such as mantle or magma. We therefore conclude that $CO_2$ gas and noble gas in the Dalki carbonate waters originated from a deep-seated source, rather than an inorganic $CO_2$ origin as suggested in a previous study.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.65-77
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• 2011

Hydrochemical and carbon isotopic (${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$) analyses of 11 water samples, and noble gas isotopic analyses of 8 water samples collected in the Kyeoungbuk and Kangwon areas of Korea were performed to determine their hydrochemical characteristics and to interpret the source of noble gases and $CO_2$ gas in the water. The carbonated mineral waters are weakly acidic (PH = 5.59-6.04), and electrical conductivity ranges from 302 to $864\;{\mu}S/cm$. The chemical composition of all the water samples is Ca-$HCO_3$ type. The high contents of Fe and Mn exceed the safe limits for drinking water. The ${\delta}^{13}C_{DIC}$ values of the samples range from -5.30‰ to -2.84‰, indicating that the carbon is supplied mainly from a deep-seated source and to a lesser degree from an inorganic carbonate source. The $^3He/^4He$ ratios of the samples range from $1.51{\times}10^{-6}$ to $6.45{\times}10^{-6}$. The samples plot into three groups on a $^3He/^4He$ versus $^4He/^{20}Ne$ diagram: the deep-seated field (e.g., a mantle source), the atmospheric field, and the air-mantle mixing field. A wide range of $^4He/^{20}Ne$ ratios is observed ($0.036{\times}10^{-6}$ to $1.76{\times}10^{-6}$), indicating that while radiogenic $^4He$ is dominant in these water samples, mantle-origin He is also present. The supply of $CO_2$ gas and noble gases from a deep-seated source to carbonated waters is inferred to be controlled by geological structures such as faults and geological boundaries.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.119-120
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• 2004

Urban groundwater has a unique hydrologic system because of the complex surface and subsurface infrastructures such as deep foundation of many high buildings, subway systems, and sewers and public water supply systems. It generally has been considered that increased surface impermeability reduces the amount of groundwater recharge. On the other hand, leaks from sewers and public water supply systems may generate the large amounts of recharges. All of these urban facilities also may change the groundwater quality by the recharge of a myriad of contaminants. This study was performed to determine the factors controlling the recharge of deep groundwater in an urban area, based on the hydrogeochemical characteristics. The term ‘contamination’ in this study means any kind of inflow of shallow groundwater regardless of clean or contaminated. For this study, urban groundwater samples were collected from a total of 310 preexisting wells with the depth over 100 m. Random sampling method was used to select the wells for this study. Major cations together with Si, Al, Fe, Pb, Hg and Mn were analyzed by ICP-AES, and Cl, N $O_3$, N $H_4$, F, Br, S $O_4$and P $O_4$ were analyzed by IC. There are two groups of groundwater, based on hydrochemical characteristics. The first group is distributed broadly from Ca-HC $O_3$ type to Ca-C1+N $O_3$ type; the other group is the Na+K-HC $O_3$ type. The latter group is considered to represent the baseline quality of deep groundwater in the study area. Using the major ions data for the Na+K-HC $O_3$ type water, we evaluated the extent of groundwater contamination, assuming that if subtract the baseline composition from acquired data for a specific water, the remaining concentrations may indicate the degree of contamination. The remainder of each solute for each sample was simply averaged. The results showed that both Ca and HC $O_3$ represent the typical solutes which are quite enriched in urban groundwater. In particular, the P$CO_2$ values calculated using PHREEQC (version 2.8) showed a correlation with the concentrations of maior inorganic components (Na, Mg, Ca, N $O_3$, S $O_4$, etc.). The p$CO_2$ values for the first group waters widely ranged between about 10$^{-3.0}$ atm to 10$^{-1.0}$ atm and differed from those of the background water samples belonging to the Na+K-HC $O_3$ type (<10$^{-3.5}$ atm). Considering that the p$CO_2$ of soil water (near 10$^{-1.5}$ atm), this indicates that inflow of shallow water is very significant in deep groundwaters in the study area. Furthermore, the P$CO_2$ values can be used as an effective parameter to estimate the relative recharge of shallow water and thus the contamination susceptibility. The results of our present study suggest that down to considerable depth, urban groundwater in crystalline aquifer may be considerably affected by the recharge of shallow water (and pollutants) from an adjacent area. We also suggest that for such evaluation, careful examination of systematically collected hydrochemical data is requisite as an effective tool, in addition to hydrologic and hydrogeologic interpretation.ion.ion.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of using stable isotopes as a hydrologic tracer, and to elucidate the groundwater circulation system and the source of S component dissolved in thermal water of the Chonju Jukrim thermal spring district based on the O, H and S isotopic variabilities of environmental materials including bedrock, rainwater, surface water, shallow subsurface water and thermal spring water. The ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}D$ of subsurface waters and surface water show highly restricted range and plotted on the same meteoric water line as a ${\delta}D=8{\delta}^{18}O+19$ line, and derivate from the mean annual isotopic composition of the rain water but are analogous to those of rain waters precipitated during winter season, indicating that ground waters are originated from the meteoric water and are strongly affected by the seasonal variation of air mass. Thermal spring waters are more depleted in ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}D$ than those of shallow ground water and surface water. It can be explained by the difference of recharge area. The hydrochemical properties of subsurface waters and surface water devide into two groups: $Ca(HCO_3)_2$ type including shallow subsurface water and surface water, and $Na(HCO_3)$ type of thermal spring waters. The ${\delta}^{34}S$ values of thermal spring water show very high positive and quitely distinct from those of shallow subsurface water and surface water that are similar to those of bed rocks, indicating that sulfate dissolved in thermal spring water has not only a terrigenic origin, but also originates partially from the foreign source containing very heavy ${\delta}^{34}S$ component such as an ancient sea water. However, the presence of $H_2S$ can not be ignore the affact of the isotopic fractionation to explaine the heavy ${\delta}^{34}S$ of thermal spring water. Overall, the Oxygen and Hydrogen stable isotopes can identify the source and the circulation system of the natural waters and the S-isotopes can provide a crucial clue on tracing the dissolved material transports in the circulation system of the natural water.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.14 no.4 s.41
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• pp.469-485
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to investigate the hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in the Umsung area, and to elucidate the effect of host rock type, well depth and mineralization zone on the groundwater chemistry. The geology of the study area consists of Jurassic granite and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, which are bounded by a fault. Most of shallow groundwaters exploited in the Jurassic granite area are used for agricultural purpose, whereas the deep groundwaters in the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks are used for a drinking water. The shallow groundwater shows weak acidic pH, the electrical conductivity ranging from $142\;to\;903\;{\mu}S/cm$, and the chemical type of $Ca-HCO_3\;to\;Ca-Cl(SO_4,\;NO_3)$. A few of shallow groundwaters are contaminated by nitrate, and show high concentration of Fe, Mn and Zn, that reflects the effect of a mineralization zone. The deep groundwater shows neutral to weak alkaline pH, higher electrical conductivity than that of shallow groundwater, and the chemical type of $Ca-HCO_3$. The seepage water from the abandoned mines does not have the characteristics such as acidic pH, high concentration of heavy metals and high sulfate content. The hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of groundwater indicates an altitude effect of the recharge area between deep groundwater and shallow groundwater. In conclusion, the chemical composition of groundwater complicately reflects the effects of their host rocks, well depth, agricultural activity and mineralization zone in the study area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.66-79
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• 1998

This study purposes to elucidate the characteristics of local water quality and the evolutional process of the spring water have been studied with the samples from 55 selected springs, from the coast region to the Baegrogdam, a caldera lake of Halla mountain in Cheju Island. Results of hydrochemical analyses in the 55 spring water show that Gwaneumsa is pollued with high hydrogen concentration, and spring waters from Yusuarmchun, Jangsumul, Dukjisemmul, Sinch'onk'nmul, Youngchunsa, Woonyangchun, Harwontongmul, Dongheamul, Seakdalsengsu, Andukkyekok, Dotimul, Kinmul, Harkangmul and Jungkeummul are polluted by the pollution sources from the surface surrounding ground. Spring waters of Samyang3suwon, Meungbusa, Sernurungmul, Tosanmul, Jungkeummul, Kwakgimul, Aewolharmul, Konemul and Nokgomul are also polluted from the sea water intrusion. The electrical conductivity, pH and the concentration of nitrate nitrogen and bicarbonate increase when the precipitation increases, but the concentration of sodium, chloride and sulphate decrease when the precipitation increases. The concentrations of potassium, magnessium and calcium are nearly independent of the precipitaion. Quality characteristics of spring water show complicated group of spring water through piper's trilinear diagram. The high mountain region consists of groups of sodium or potassium type and bicarbonate type; the middle mountain region consists of groups of sodium or potassium type and no dominant type; the low mountain consists of groups of no dominant type and sulfate or nitrate type; the coast region consists of groups of sodium or potassium type and chloride type or no dominant type. These characteristics indicate that the spring waters are changed from bicarbonate type in the high and middle mountain regions into non-bicarbonate type in the coastal region, as the precipitated waters flow downslope.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.361-368
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• 2007

In this paper, we suggested the relationship between resistivity of coastal groundwater and NaCl equivalent salinity for the quantitative interpretation the results of surface/borehole resistivity and electromagnetic data. 38 groundwater samples having electrical conductivity higher than about 1,000 ${\mu}S/cm$ were analyzed to derive the empirical relationship between groundwater resistivity and NaCl equivalent salinity. We used Schlumberger chart GEN-8 to convert ion concentration from hydrochemical analysis to the equivalent NaCl salinity, and the portable meter to measure the in situ electrical conductivity of groundwater samples. From the hydrochemical analysis, relationship between the groundwater resistivity $(R_w)$ and equivalent NaCl salinity (Eq_NaCl) is expressed as Eq_NaCl=$5935.3551{\times}R_w^{-1.0993}$, and relationship between the groundwater electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) is expressed as TDS=0.721*EC. We believe these relationships are very useful to assess the seawater intrusion in western and southern coastal area.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.84-91
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• 2018

The present study deals with the management of groundwater resources of an important agriculture track of north-western part of Saudi Arabia. Due to strategic importance of the area efforts have been made to estimate aquifer proneness to attenuate contamination. This includes determining hydrodynamic behavior of the groundwater system. The important parameters of any vulnerability model are geological formations in the region, depth to water levels, soil, rainfall, topography, vadose zone, the drainage network and hydraulic conductivity, land use, hydrochemical data, water discharge, etc. All these parameters have greater control and helps determining response of groundwater system to a possible contaminant threat. A widely used DRASTIC model helps integrate these data layers to estimate vulnerability indices using GIS environment. DRASTIC parameters were assigned appropriate ratings depending upon existing data range and a constant weight factor. Further, land-use pattern map of study area was integrated with vulnerability map to produce pollution risk map. A comparison of DRASTIC model was done with GOD and AVI vulnerability models. Model validation was done with $NO_3$, $SO_4$ and Cl concentrations. These maps help to assess the zones of potential risk of contamination to the groundwater resources.