Radionuclide analysis methods must be secured in the event of emergencies such as the discovery of unknown nuclear material or nuclear accidents in neighboring countries or Korea. Most institutions in Korea are in their early stages of radionuclide analysis method development and do not even have Radiation Controlled Areas where they can handle the samples safely. Some institutions such as the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute have the ability to perform radionuclide analysis for nuclear facilities or verification of nuclear activities. In Korea, it is necessary to secure nuclide analysis technology to enable independent verification in times of emergency or need. This paper analyzes uranium as the target nuclide using alpha spectrometer and TIMS. Alpha spectrometer detects alpha particles emitted from uranium samples and measures the concentration of uranium isotopes. This method has a high selectivity that distinguishes it from other elements, and accurate measurements can be made even when uranium samples are mixed with other elements. In addition, there is minimal interference from other radioactive isotopes in the sample, and the sample preparation is simple, resulting in relatively short analysis times. In contrast, TIMS detects ionized uranium ions by heating the uranium sample. This method may have potential interference from other elements and may take relatively longer analysis times. However, TIMS has high sensitivity and accuracy and can detect various elements other than uranium, making it suitable for various analyses. Therefore, when analyzing uranium, it is recommended to select and use the appropriate device according to the purpose, as both alpha spectrometer and TIMS have their pros and cons. Furthermore, by using both devices in parallel, more accurate and reliable results can be obtained. This paper aims to compare the analysis methods of alpha spectrometer and thermal ionization mass spectrometry, which are widely used for nuclide analysis in unknown nuclear materials.

After permanent shutdown, contamination existing in nuclear facilities must be removed according to decontamination and dismantling procedures to achieve the target end state. In Korea, Korea Research Reactor (KRR) Units 1, 2 are being decommissioned, and Kori Unit 1 is in the process of reviewing the final decommissioning plan for the start of decommissioning. In order to complete decommissioning of nuclear facilities, it is necessary to satisfy the dose criteria according to the residual radioactivity remaining in the site and buildings. In the United States, which has a lot of experience in decommissioning, Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) is used as a procedure for measuring and analyzing residual radioactivity. In MARSSIM, survey units are classified according to the level of contamination, and the radiation survey procedure and effort can be determined according to the survey unit level. After the radiological analysis and statistical verification of the survey unit, it is decided whether to release the site. At this time, the geographical area to be used as the background level is called the reference area. Therefore, selection of an appropriate reference area is important for accurate residual radioactivity analysis and for the release of the site. In this study, reference area evaluation cases and domestic decommissioning procedures were analyzed to derive considerations for selecting an appropriate reference area. For example, Zion NPP in the US selected a place outside the boundary of the restricted area unaffected by nuclear power plant operation as a reference area by referring to the meteorological monitoring report. Among Korea’s decommissioning procedures, the appropriateness of the reference area can be confirmed through the final status report submitted upon completion of decommissioning. However, since the selection and application of the reference area needs to be reflected during decommissioning, relevant information must be updated through periodic communication between operator and regulatory agency. The results of this study will be used as considerations for selecting a reference area.

In Korea, borated stainless steel (BSS) is used as a storage rack in spent fuel pools (SFP) to maintain the nuclear criticality of spent fuels. As the number of nuclear power plants and the corresponding amount of spent fuels increased, the density in SFP storage rack also increased. In this regard, maintaining subcriticality of spent nuclear fuels became an issue and BSS was selected as the structural material and neutron absorber for high density storage rack. Since it is difficult to replace the storage rack, corrosion resistance and neutron absorbency are required for long period. BSS is based on stainless steel 304 and is specified in the ASTM A887-89 standard depending on the boron concentration from 304B (0.20-0.29% B) to 304B7 (1.75-2.25% B). Due to the low solubility of boron in austenitic stainless steel, metallic borides such as (Fe, Cr) 2B are formed as a secondary phase. Metallic borides could cause Cr depletion near it, which could decrease the corrosion resistance of the material. In this paper, the long-term corrosion behavior of BSS and its oxide microstructures are investigated through accelerated corrosion experiment in simulated SFP conditions. Because the corrosion rate of austenitic stainless steel is known to be dependent on the Arrhenius equation, a function of temperature, the corrosion experiment is conducted by increasing the experimental temperature. Detail microstructural analysis is conducted using a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer. After oxidation, a hematite structure oxide film is formed, and pitting corrosion occurs on the surface of specimens. Most of the pitting corrosion is found at the substrate surface because the corrosion resistance of the substrate, which has low Cr content, is relatively low. Also, the oxidation reaction of B in the secondary phase has the lowest Gibbs free energy compared to other elements. Furthermore, oxidation of Cr has low Gibbs free energy, which means that oxidation of B and Cr could be faster than other elements. Thus, the long-term corrosion might affect the boron content and the neutron absorption ability of the material. Using boron’s high cross-section for neutrons, the neutron absorption performance of BSS was evaluated through neutron transmission tests. The effect of the corrosion behavior of BSS on its neutron absorption performance was investigated. Samples simulated to undergo up to 60 years of degradation before corrosion through accelerated corrosion testing did not show significant changes in the neutron shielding ability before and after corrosion. This can be explained in relation to the corrosion behavior of BSS. Boron was only leached out from the secondary phase exposed on the surface, and this oxidized secondary phase corresponds to about 0.17% of the volume of the total secondary phase. This can be seen as a very small proportion compared to the total boron content and is not expected to have a significant impact on neutron absorption performance.

In Korea, borated stainless steel (BSS) is used as spent fuel pool (SFP) storage rack to maintain nuclear criticality of spent fuels. As number of nuclear power plants and corresponding number of spent fuels increased, density in SFP storage rack also increased. In this regard, maintain subcriticality of spent nuclear fuels was raised as an issue and BSS was selected as structural material and neutron absorber for high density storage rack. Because it is difficult to replace storage rack, corrosion resistance and neutron absorbency are required for long period. BSS is based on stainless steel 304 and it is specified in the ASTM A887-89 standard depending on the boron concentration from 304B (0.20-0.29% B) to 304B7 (1.75-2.25% B). Due to low solubility of boron in austenitic stainless steel, metallic borides such as (Fe, Cr)2B are formed as secondary phase metallic borides could make Cr depletion near it which could decrease the corrosion resistance of material. In this paper, long-term corrosion behavior of BSS and its oxide microstructures are investigated through accelerated corrosion experiment in simulated SFP condition. Because corrosion rate of austenitic stainless steel is known to be dependent on the Arrhenius equation, a function of temperature, corrosion experiment is conducted by increasing the experimental temperature. Detail microstructural analysis was conducted with scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer. After oxidation, hematite structure oxide film is formed and pitting corrosions occur on the surface of specimens. Most of pitting corrosions are found at the substrate surface because corrosion resistance of substrate, which has low Cr content, is relatively low. Also, oxidation reaction of B in the secondary phase has the lowest Gibbs free energy compared to other elements. Furthermore, oxidation of Cr has low Gibbs free energy which means that oxidation of B and Cr could be faster than other elements. Thus, the long-term corrosion might affect to boron content and the neutron absorption ability of the material.