• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.791-800
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• 2010

This paper presents the construction status and the conceptual designs of midium and high level radioactive waste disposal facilities from all around world. For the midium radioactive waste, a shallow disposal using trench or a deep depth disposal are adopted. However, these are rather focusing on the social and cultural point of view than the technical. Meanwhile, the high level radioactive waste is basically disposed in the deep underground. The corresponding ground conditions are usually dense and composed of sedimentary and crystalline rocks mainly with low permeability. A barrier system is made of canister which consists of copper, titanium, and tin. The inner and outer side of the canister are composed of different materials respectively.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.465-479
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• 2023

To ensure the safety of disposal facilities for radioactive waste, it is essential to quantitatively evaluate the performance of the waste disposal facilities by using safety assessment models. This paper addresses the development of the safety assessment model for the underground silo of Wolseong Low-and Immediate-Level Waste (LILW) disposal facility in Korea. As the simulated result, the nuclides diffused from the waste were kept inside the silo without the leakage of those while the integrity of the concrete is maintained. After the degradation of concrete, radionuclides migrate in the same direction as the groundwater flow by mainly advection mechanism. The release of radionuclides has a positive linear relationship with a half-life in the range of medium half-life. Additionally, the solidified waste form delays and reduces the migration of radionuclides through the interaction between the nuclides and the solidified medium. Herein, the phenomenon of this delay was implemented with the mass transfer coefficient of the flux node at numerical modeling. The solidification effects, which are delaying and reducing the leakage of nuclides, were maintained the integrity of the nuclides. This effect was decreased by increasing the half-life and the mass transfer coefficient of radionuclides.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.231-238
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• 2004

The conditions are obtained for the decomposition of solid radioactive wastes, including ion exchange resin, zeolite, charcoal, and sludge from nuclear power plant. In the process of decomposing the radioactive wastes was used the microwave acid digestion method with mixed acid. The solution after acid digestion by the following method was colorless and transparent. Each solution was analyzed with ICP-AES and AAS and the recovery yield for 5 different elements added into the simulated radioactive wastes were over $94{\%}$. The elemental analysis of destructive low and medium level radioactive wastes by the proposed microwave acid digestion conditions concerning the chemical characteristics of each radioactive waste are expected to be useful basic data for development of optimal glass formulation.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2_spc
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• pp.317-325
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• 2020

The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency plans to expand the storage capacity of radioactive waste by constructing a radioactive waste inspecting building to solve the problem of the lack of inspection space and drum-handling space in the radioactive waste receipt and storage building for the first-stage disposal facility. In this study, the exposure doses of radiation workers that handle new disposal containers for decommissioning waste in the storage areas of the radioactive waste inspecting building were calculated using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code. The annual collective dose was calculated as a total of 84.8 man-mSv for 304 new disposal containers and an estimated annual 306 working hours for the radiation work. When the 304 new disposal containers (small/medium type) were stored in the storage areas, it was found that 25 radiation workers should be involved in acceptance/disposal inspection, and the estimated exposure dose per worker was calculated as an average annual value of 3.39 mSv. When the radiation workers handle the small containers in high-radiation dose areas, the small containers should be shielded further by increasing the concrete liner thickness to improve the work efficiency and radiation safety of the radiation workers. The results of this study will be useful in establishing the optimal radiation working conditions for radiation workers using the source term and characteristics of decommissioning waste based on actual measurements.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.321-329
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• 2013

Recently, the medium-low level radioactive waste from nuclear power plant must be transported from temporary storage to the final repository. Medium-low level radioactive waste, which is composed mainly of the liquid ion exchange resin, has been consolidated with cementitious material in the plastic or iron container. Since cementitious material is brittle, it would generate cracks by impact load during transportation, signifying leakage of radioactive ray. In order to design the safety transporting equipment, there is a need to check the compressive strength of the current waste. However, because it is impossible to measure strength by direct method due to leakage of radioactive ray, we will estimate the strength indirectly by the dynamic modulus of elasticity. Therefore, it must be identified the relationship between of strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity. According to the waste acceptance criteria, the compressive strength of cement based solid is defined as more than 3.44 MPa (500 psi). Compressive strength of the present solid is likely to be significantly higher than this baseline because of continuous hydration of cement during long period. On this background, we have tried to produce the specimens of the 28 day's compressive strength of 3 to 30 MPa having the same material composition as the solid product for the medium-low level radioactive waste, and analyze the relationship between the strength and the dynamic modulus of elasticity. By controling the addition rates of AE agent, we made the mixture containing the ion exchange resin and showing the target compressive strength (3~30 MPa). The dynamic modulus of elasticity of this mixtures is 4.1~10.2 GPa, about 20 GPa lower in the equivalent compressive strength level than that of ordinary concrete, and increasing the discrepancy according to increase strength. The compressive strength and the dynamic modulus of elasticity show the liner relationship.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.91-102
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• 2020

According to the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency's (KORAD's) medium and low level radioactive waste management implementation plan, the Domestic 3rd Step Landfill Disposal Facility has planned to accept a total of 104,000 drums (2 trenches) of very low level radioactive waste (VLLW), from the decommissioning site from April 2019 - February 2026 (total budget: 224.6 billion Won). Subsequently, 260,000 drums (5 trenches) will be disposed in a 34,076 ㎡. Accordingly, KORAD is preparing a waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for this facility. Every disposal facility for VLLW in other countries such as France and Spain, operate their WAC for each VLLW facility with a reasonable application approach, This, paper focuses on analyzing the WAC conditions in VLLW sites in the USA and discusses whether these can be met in domestic VLLW WAC. It also helps in the preparation of WAC for the 3rd Step Landfill Disposal Site in Gyeongju, since the USA has prior experience on decommissioning nuclear waste.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2023

The increasing saturation challenges in storage facilities for Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste call for a more efficient storage approach. Consequently, we have developed a square-structured container that features a storage capacity approximately 20% greater than that of conventional drum-type containers. Considering the need to contain various radioactive wastes from nuclear power usage securely until they no longer pose a threat to human health or the environment, this study focuses on evaluating the sealing efficacy of the newly designed rectangular container using finite element analysis. Since radioactive waste containers typically do not experience external forces except under special circumstances, our analysis simulated the impact of an external force, assuming a fall scenario. After fastening the bolts, we examined the vertical stress distribution on the container by applying the calculated external force. The analysis confirms the container's stable seal.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.141-148
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• 2011

It is clarified in the radioactive waste transfer regulation that the concentration of radioactive waste for the major radio nuclide has to be examined when radioactive waste is guided to the radioactive waste stores. In case of the low level radioactive waste sample, the analytical results of radioactive waste concentration frequently show a value lower than minimum detectable activity (MDA). Since the MDA value basically depends on the amount of a sample, background value, measurement time, counting efficiency, and etc, it would be necessary to increase a sample amount with a intention of minimizing MDA. In order to measure a concentration of $^{129}I$ in low and medium level radioactive waste, $^{129}I$ was collected by using a distillation technique after leaching the simulated radioactive waste sample with a non-volatile acid. The recovery of $^{129}I$ measured was compared with that measured with column elution technique which is a conventional method using an anion-exchange resin. The recovery of inactive iodide by using the distillation method and column elution were found as $86.5{\pm}0.9%$ and $87.3{\pm}2.7%$, respectively. The recovery and MDA value calculated for distillation technique when 100 g of extracted solution of $^{129}I$ was taken, were found to be $84.6{\pm}1.6%$ and $1.2{\times}10^{-4}Bq/g$, respectively. Consequently, the proposed technique with simplified process lowered the MDA value more than 10 times compared to the column elution technique that has a disadvantage of limited sampling amount.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.77-87
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• 2008

Decision-making of the site for the medium and low-level radioactive-waste disposal facilities in 2005 can be estimated as a success. But the limits exposed during the process still remain as problems to be solved. Analyzing the causes of success and failure of the policy and their correlation was expected to provide an effective guideline on future policies. The analysis shows that the transparency of policy makers, the level of community supports and the public relations are decisive factors. System dynamics, a synthetic analyzing tool, is used as a methodology for policy analysis. The result of the system dynamics analysis shows that public confidence is to be the key role to for and against logics when transparency of stakeholder, subsidy and public information are set as adjustable parameters. Public confidence takes a role of leverage that can convert tendency of conclusion by the opinion which influenced by selected parameters.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2005

In the stage of conceptual design for the construction and operation of the geologic repository for radioactive wastes, it is important to consider a repository ventilation system which serves the repository working environment, hygiene & safety of the public at large, and will allow safe maintenance like moisture content elimination in repository for the duration of the repositories life, construction/operation/closure, also allowing safe waste transportation and emplacement. This paper describes the possible ventilation system design criteria and requirements for the prospective Korean radioactive waste repositories with emphasis on the underground rock cavity disposal method in the both cases of low & medium-level and high-level wastes. It was found that the most important concept is separate ventilation systems for the construction (development) and waste emplacement (storage) activities. In addition, ventilation network system modeling, natural ventilation, ventilation monitoring systems & real time ventilation simulation, and fire simulation & emergency system in the repository are briefly discussed.