• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.50 no.7
• /
• pp.1120-1130
• /
• 2018

An analysis of a pyroprocessing safeguards methodology employing the Pu-to-$^{244}Cm$ ratio is presented. The analysis includes characterization of representative used nuclear fuel assemblies with respect to computed nuclide composition. The nuclide composition data computationally generated is appropriately reformatted to correspond with the material conditions after each step in the head-end stage of pyroprocessing. Uncertainty in the Pu-to-$^{244}Cm$ ratio is evaluated using the Geary-Hinkley transformation method. This is because the Pu-to-$^{244}Cm$ ratio is a Cauchy distribution since it is the ratio of two normally distributed random variables. The calculated uncertainty of the Pu-to-$^{244}Cm$ ratio is propagated through the mass flow stream in the pyroprocessing steps. Finally, the probability of Type-I error for the plutonium Material Unaccounted For (MUF) is evaluated by the hypothesis testing method as a function of the sizes of powder particles and granules, which are dominant parameters to determine the sample size. The results show the probability of Type-I error is occasionally greater than 5%. However, increasing granule sample sizes could surmount the weakness of material accounting because of the non-uniformity of nuclide composition.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.195-204
• /
• 2000

order to investigate physical characteristics and element concentrations of sediments, coastal bottom sediments were collected at 20 stations in the vicinity of Youngkwang Nuclear Power Plant. After air drying of samples in the laboratory. article size distribution was examined by Master sizer (X-350F), radio-activity by HPGe ${\gamma}$-spectrphotometer, and element concentrations by ICP-AES and AAS. According to particle size analysis , sediments are mainly composed of silt fraction weith 23% of sand, 65% of silt and 12% of clay on average. Most sediments are derived from muddy environment that silt dominates with the characteristics of 5.3${\varsigma}$ mean particle size, poorly sorted, very fine skewed and lepto-kurtic. Only two sediments are well sorted with sandy silt owing to wind, winnowing action, tide and current andits complex reactions. Element concentrations in the coastal bottom sediments are relatively high at finer sediment and show significant relationship with grain size. Index of geoaccumulation by heavy metals at every sampling station is classified as practically unpolluted. The radioactivities of the sediments were measured for 15 isotope elements, and 2 elements of K-40 and Cs-137 were detected in most sediments. The K-40 is the natural nuclide and the artificial nuclide of Cs-137 was thought to be derived from the fallout of past nuclear weapon test. The results of correlation coefficient between grain size and radioactivity shows that the activity of Cs-137 significantly increases in finer grain.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.47 no.7
• /
• pp.859-866
• /
• 2015

The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst-Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration flux under electroneutrality and zero electric current conditions. The distribution coefficient which arises due to ion interactions with the membrane material and the electric potential jump at the membrane interface are included as boundary conditions in solving the equation. A high Peclet approximation is adopted to simplify the calculation, but the effect of concentration polarization is included for a more accurate prediction of separation. Cobalt and cesium are specifically selected for the experiments in order to check the separation mechanism from liquid waste composed of various radioactive nuclides and nonradioactive substances, and the results are compared with the estimated cobalt and cesium rejections of the RO membrane using the model. Experimental and calculated results are shown to be in excellent agreement. The proposed model will be very useful for the prediction of separation behavior of various radioactive nuclides by the RO membrane.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.175-182
• /
• 2010

As part of a fundamental study on the volume reduction of contaminated concrete wastes, the separation characteristics of the aggregates and the distribution of the radioactivity in the aggregates were investigated. Radioisotope $^{60}Co$ was artificially used as a model contaminant for non-radioactive crushed concrete waste. Volume reduction for radioactively contaminated dismantled concrete wastes was carried out using activated heavy weight concrete taken from the Korea Research Reactor 2 (KRR-2) and light weight concrete from the Uranium Conversion Plant (UCP). The results showed that most of the $^{60}Co$ nuclide was easily separated from the contaminated dismantled concrete waste and was concentrated mainly in the porous fine cement paste. The heating temperature was found to be one of the effective parameters in the removal of the radionuclide from concrete waste. The volume reduction rate achieved was above 80% for the KRR-2 concrete wastes and above 75% for the UCP concrete wastes by thermal and mechanical treatment.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
• /
• v.10 no.4 s.31
• /
• pp.66-71
• /
• 2005

HANARO, a multi-purpose research reactor, 30 MWth open-tank-in-pool type, is planning to produce a fission moly-99 of radio isotopes, a mother nuclide of Tc-99m, a medical isotope and a target handling tool is under development for loading and unloading it in a circular flow tube (OR-5) of HANARO. A guide tube is extended from the reactor core to the top of the reactor chimney for easily loading the target under a normal operation of the reactor. But active coolant through the core can be quickly raised up to the top of the chimney through the guide tube. The jet flow was suppressed in the guide tube after reducing the inner diameter of a flow restriction orifice installed in the OR-5 flow tube for adding the pressure difference in the flow tube. This paper describes an analytical analysis to calculate the flow distribution in the core of HANARO after suppressing the jet flow of the guide tube. As results, it was confirmed through the analysis results that the flow distribution in the core of HANARO were not adversely affected.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2005.04a
• /
• pp.70-73
• /
• 2005

The HANARO, multi-purpose research reactor, 30 MWth open-tank-in-pool type, is planning to produce a fission moly-99 of radio isotopes, a mother nuclide of Tc-99m, a medical isotope and is under developing a target handling tool for loading and unloading it in a circular flow tube (OR-5). A guide tube is extended from the reactor core to the top of the reactor chimney for easily loading the target under the reactor normal operation. But active coolant through the core can be quickly raised up to the top of the chimney through the guide tube. The jet flow was suppressed in the guide tube after reducing the inner diameter of a flow restriction orifice installed in the OR-5 flow tube for adding the pressure difference in the flow tube after unloading the target. This paper describes an analytical analysis to calculate the flow distribution in the core of the HANARO after suppressing the jet flow of the guide tube. As results, it was confirmed through the analysis results that the flow distribution in the core of the HANARO were not adversely affected.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.213-220
• /
• 2007

Appropriate numerical models for the simulation of off-gas flow in hot area of the vitrification plant have been developed in this study. The models have been applied to analyze the effect of design parameters of real plant and numerical analyses have been performed for CCM(Cold Crucible Melter), pipe cooler and HTF(High Temperature Filter). At first, the effect of excess oxygen and the ratio of oxygen distribution on combustion characteristics in the CCM has been studied. Next, solidification behavior of radio nuclide in the pipe cooler has been numerically modeled and scrutinized. Finally, flow pattern in accordance with the location of off-gas entrance of the HTF has been compared.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.69-78
• /
• 2005

Appropriate numerical models for the simulation of off-gas flow in hot area of the vitrification plant have been developed in this study. The models have been applied to analyze the effect of design parameters of real plant and numerical analyses have been performed for CCM(Cold Crucible Melter), pipe cooler and HTF(High Temperature Filter) At first, the effect of excess oxygen and the ratio of oxygen distribution on combustion characteristics in the CCM has been studied. Next, solidification behavior of radio nuclide In the pipe tooler has been numerically modeled and scrutinized. Finally, flow pattern In accordance with the location of off-gas entrance of the HTF has been compared.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.1028-1033
• /
• 2013

As safety and security systems of shipping logistics are reinforced all over the world, ubiquitous technology-based core technology for safety and security is developing to build the system of logistics security. It is feared that the logistics security system of Korea has a possibility to technically depend on developed countries in the futures. Because the essential skills and equipment to retain security of logistics are not developed. It is urgent to introduce a logistics security system that fully integrates the entire logistics segment in the future. Thus, the necessity of developing the portable radiation detector which can detect gamma-ray nuclide is increasing for reinforcing safety and security systems. In this paper, a research suggests the implementation of portable radiation detector platform using Cortex-A8.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.263-272
• /
• 2012

A GoldSim template program for a safety assessment of a hybrid-typed repository system, called A-KRS, in which two kinds of pyro-processed radioactive wastes, low-level metal wastes and ceramic high-level wastes that arise from the pyro-processing of PWR nuclear spent fuels are disposed of, has been developed. This program is ready both for a deterministic and probabilistic total system performance assessment which is able to evaluate nuclide release from the repository and farther transport into the geosphere and biosphere under various normal, disruptive natural and manmade events, and scenarios. The A-KRS has been probabilistically assessed with 9 selected input parameters, each of which has its own statistical distribution for a normal release and transport scenario associated with nuclide release and transport in and around the repository. Probabilistic dose exposure rates to the farming exposure group have been evaluated. A sensitivity of 9 selected parameters to the result has also been investigated to see which parameter is more sensitive and important to the exposure rates.