Radioactive carbon, C-14, can be generated by the neutron capture reaction of O-17 during the nuclear power plant operation. Since C-14 is classified as an intermediate level waste radionuclide, it is required that an effective separation process for C-14. C-14 is mainly absorbed on activated carbon in the air cleanup system. Therefore, the main generation source of C-14 during the nuclear power plant decommissioning is spent activated carbon. KAERI has been developing the treatment of spent activated carbon. In this process, C-14 can be desorbed as a gaseous oxide form from the spent activated carbon at high-temperature vacuum conditions. This radioactive carbon dioxide can be captured into alkaline earth metal incorporated glass and can be transformed into carbonate form. However, the carbonate (e.g. CaCO3 and SrCO3) is dispersive. When the radioactive carbonates are disposed into a geological repository, they should be immobilized to remove future uncertainty. This study examined the stabilization/immobilization of the radioactive carbonates by the cement hydration process. Cement wasteform incorporated with calcium carbonate and strontium carbonate was produced under various waste loading (e.g. 20wt%, 40wt%, and 60wt% of CaCO3 and SrCO3, respectively). Then we evaluated mechanical and chemical durability by measuring compressive strength and leachability according to standard test methods specified in the waste acceptance criteria of the Gyeongju low and intermediate level waste repository (WAC-SIL-2022-1). Also, microstructure and thermal characteristics were investigated by SEM-EDS and TGA analysis.
Since nuclear power plant (NPP) dismantling carries the possibility of radiation exposure from a hazardous environment, it’s important to minimize that by using a remote manipulator et al. However, due to complexity of nuclear facilities, it’s necessary for operators to increase their proficiency by operating in advance in a virtual environment. In this research, we propose a virtual manipulator system using a haptic device for NPP’s reactor vessel internals (RVI) dismantling which can realistically manipulate.
Concrete is one of the largest wastes, by volume, generated during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, which significantly influences the projected costs for the disposal of decommissioning wastes. Concrete consists of aggregates and a cement binder. In radioactive concrete, the radioisotopes are mainly associated with the cement component. If the radioactive isotope can be separated from the concrete to below the clearance criteria, the volume of radioactive concrete waste could be reduced effectively. We were studied to separate the radioactive materials from the concrete by using the thermomechanical and chemical treatment processes, sequentially. From the study, separated aggregate could be treated to achieve the clearance level. However, these processes generate a large volume of secondary acidic radioactive wastewater, which might be a critical problem to reduce the volume of radioactive concrete waste. In this research, separating the 137Cs and 90Sr from dissolved concrete wastewater to below the discharge criteria by precipitation method, it would be released to the environment under industrial waste guidelines. The experiments were conducted to using a simulated radioactive wastewater, formed by the dissolution of concrete within HCl, which was spiking the 137Cs and 90Sr, respectively. In addition, we applied the chemical precipitation methods with wastewater, using ferrocyanide for 137Cs and BaSO4 coprecipitation for 90Sr. As a result, targeted radionuclides could be removed to the discharge level (137Cs: 0.05 Bq·ml−1, 90Sr: 0.02 Bq·ml−1) by precipitation method. Therefore, it could reduce the secondary wastewater effectively by precipitation method and enhance the additional volume reduction for radioactive concrete waste.
As the design life of nuclear power plants are coming to the end, starting with Kori unit 1, nuclear power related organizations have been actively conducted research on the treatment of nuclear power plant decommissioning waste. In this study, among various types of radioactive waste, stabilization and volume reduction experiments were conducted on radioactive contaminated soil waste. Korea has no experience in decommissioning nuclear power plants, but a large amount of radioactively contaminated soil waste was generated during the decommissioning of the KAERI research reactor (TRIGA Mark- II) and the uranium conversion facility. This case shows the possibility of generating radioactive soil waste from nuclear power plants and nuclear-related facilities sites. Soil waste should be solidified, because its fluidity and dispersibility wastes specified in the notification of the Korea Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. In addition, the solidified waste forms should have sufficient mechanical strength and water resistance. Numerous minerals in the soil are components that can make glass and ceramics, for this reason, glass-ceramic sintered body can be made by appropriate heat and pressure. The sintering conditions of soil were optimized, in order to make better economical and more stable sintered body, some additives (such as additives for glass were mixed) with the soil and sintering experiments were conducted. Uncontaminated natural soil was collected and used for the experiment after air drying. Moisture content, pH, bulk density, and organic content were measured to understand the basic properties of soil, and physicochemical properties of the soil were identified by XRD, XRF, TG, and SEM-EDS analysis. In order to understand the distribution by particle size of the soil, it was divided into Sand (0.05–2 mm) and Fines (< 0.05 mm). The green body was manufactured in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of 13mm and a height of about 10mm. Appropriate pressure (> 150 MPa) was applied to the soil to make a green body, and appropriate heat (> 800°C) was applied to the sintered body to make a sintered body. The sintering was conducted in a muffle furnace in air conditions. The volume reduction and compressive strength of the sintered body for each condition were evaluated.
Considering the characteristics of nuclear power plants in order to decommission nuclear power plants safely and economically, this thesis provides a methodology for optimizing the technology for developing decommissioning characteristic evaluation system using simulation technology for core facilities of the plants based on 3D that reflects various factors. The results of pollution assessment and radiation assessment for the Kori Unit 1 reactor building, auxiliary building, and each major device are displayed in 3D drawings and viewer, and the radiation dose rate and radiation assessment results are displayed separately for each major location. Furthermore, this D/B development method which includes inserting result values of characteristic evaluation and the quantity of waste is one of the main technology to optimize the system which enables users to select decommissioning processes and predict the quantity of waste. (Refer to the presented 3D models of the containment building, D/B, tag search module, the scale calculation result of models after visualizing the result value of 3D based decommissioning characteristic evaluation) The methodology for optimizing decommissioning characteristic evaluation result value DB development system using 3D models of the first major nuclear power plant allows the display of decommissioning characteristic values in virtual reality, the selection of decommissioning process, the establishment of the decommissioning procedure. Hence, this study is expected to provide reliable guidelines for managing a decommission business efficiently in the near future and can be used in the related field if needed.
Gamma Reality Inc. (GRI) provides real-time, mobile 3D radiation mapping, data fusion, and visualization technologies for applications ranging from nuclear power and decommissioning to emergency response. The GRI-LAMP is a compact, multi-sensor system weighing about 10 lbs (4.5 kg). LAMP is fully mobile, provides 360 degree imaging (only limited by physical access to objects/area), and streams the 3D map fused with radiation data in real-time to the control tablet for immediate results that can quickly inform the user of potential hazards in the area or direct the user to the specific location where efforts should be focused. GRI systems are also remotely deployable on robotic platforms and are used on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS), unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), as well as on manned vehicles and in handheld configurations. This deployment flexibility coupled with real-time data maximizes dose reduction opportunities and further enables dynamic operational planning, which can help reduce the costs of managing and maintaining operational nuclear power plants, as well as decontaminating, or decommissioning nuclear facilities. Applications include, but are not limited to, conducting regular radiation surveys, hotspot localization, shielding verification, radioactive waste shipment surveys, contamination mapping, and dose measurement. GRI’s solutions enable faster, safer, and more efficient radiation detection, mapping, and visualization of source terms and contamination. Commercially available LAMP versions include gamma-ray imaging, dual neutron and gamma mapping, and non-imaging gamma-ray mapping options.
In this study, the positions of Cs-137 gamma ray source are estimated from the plastic scintillating fiber bundle sensor with length of 5 m, using machine learning data analysis. Seven strands of plastic scintillating fibers are bundled by black shrink tube and two photomultiplier tubes are used as a gamma ray sensing and light measuring devices, respectively. The dose rate of Cs-137 used in this study is 6 μSv·h−1. For the machine learning modeling, Keras framework in a Python environment is used. The algorithm chosen to construct machine learning model is regression with 15,000 number of nodes in each hidden layer. The pulse-shaped signals measured by photomultiplier tubes are saved as discrete digits and each pulse data consists of 1,024 number of them. Measurements are conducted separately to create machine learning data used in training and test processes. Measurement times were different for obtaining training and test data which were 1 minute and 5 seconds, respectively. It is because sufficient number of data are needed in case of training data, while the measurement time of test data implies the actual measuring time. The machine learning model is designated to estimate the source positions using the information about time difference of the pulses which are created simultaneously by the interaction of gamma ray and plastic scintillating fiber sensor. To evaluate whether the double-trained machine learning model shows enhancement in accuracy of source position estimation, the reference model is constructed using training data with one-time learning process. The double-trained machine learning model is designed to construct first model and create a second training data using the training error and predetermined coefficient. The second training data are used to construct a final model. Both reference model and double-trained models constructed with different coefficients are evaluated with test data. The evaluation result shows that the average values calculated for all measured position in each model are different from 7.21 to 1.44 cm. As a result, by constructing the double-trained machine learning model, the final accuracy shows 80% of improvement ratio. Further study will be conducted to evaluate whether the double-trained machine learning model is applicable to other data obtained from measurement of gamma ray sources with different energy and set a methodology to find optimal coefficient.
The amount of radioactive waste generated during decommissioning directly affects the disposal cost of waste. Most of the radioactive waste generated is a concrete waste. Therefore reducing the amount of concrete waste can ensure the economic feasibility of the decommissioning project. The activated concrete in a concrete waste can reduce waste only by physical cutting. Therefore it is most important to accurately identify and categorize radionuclides, radioactivity levels, and radioactivity distribution. In the case of radioactive concrete, radiological characteristics are generally evaluated by laboratory analysis after sampling. However it is difficult to apply to all facilities (accelerator & NPP, etc.) because it is a destructive method. Therefore it is necessary to secure verified in-situ measurement technology that can be applied to operational monitoring or decommissioning plans. In this study, the applicability of cyclotron facilities was evaluated based on the evaluation algorithm derived from the Peak to Compton (PTC) method of in-situ measurement technology. And the reliability of the PTC method was verified through qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. In the case of qualitative analysis, the analysis results of KAERI which has core technology are compared. To this end SAEAN and KAERI conducted field application tests on the front concrete shielding wall of the cyclotron facility at the same time. After removing the background spectrum from the measured spectrum the PTC method was applied to calculate the Q-value for the counting rate in the peak area per counting rate in the Compton continuum area was calculated. As a result the Q-values of SAE-AN and KAERI were 0.52 and 0.24 respectively, and the result of deriving activation distribution(β) by substituting this for the β-Q correlation equation was found that 14.78 and 12.94. As a result of evaluating the activation by the thickness of the shielding wall it was found that 89.1% (SAE-AN) and 91.9% (KAERI) of the total radioactivity were exist at a depth of 5 cm. And it was found that 97.7% and 99.05% of the total radioactivity exists at a depth of 10 cm. The relative error between SAE-AN and KAERI is 1.35%, indicating that the analysis results of the two institutions are highly consistent. A core drill was performed on the concrete shielding wall in the cyclotron facility for the technical verification of the quantitative analysis method. A core sample (6 cm in diameter, 10 cm in depth) was cut to a depth of 2 cm and analyzed in the laboratory. The activation distribution(β) was calculated based on the radioactivity level of each depth sample, and it was found to be 16.99. The relative error between the quantitative analysis and the on-site measurement results was 14.95% confirming that the accuracy is relatively high.
To obtain the gamma-ray energy spectrum of artificial radionuclides which is difficult to obtain practically, virtual gamma-ray energy spectrum simulator program was developed. It can be applied for the predetermined measurement condition for which the database was developed through computational simulation and actual measurement of background radiation. For gamma spectrometry training for KHNP HPGe detectors using this program, the database for KNPG HPGe detectors was developed. First, the geometry of the detector in the simulation was adjusted to resemble the real structure by comparing the actually measured net counts rate at the main gamma peak with the value simulated by MCNP6. The Certified Reference material (CRM) of 137Cs and 60Co were used for verification. The comparison was made with respect to the situation where CRM was attached to the top and side of the detection part of the considered detector. The geometry structures of detectors were simulated by reflecting the design drawing of the products, and the simulation was performed for several thicknesses of the Ge/Li dead layer in consideration of the change in the thickness over time. As the results, the simulation geometry was tuned so that the results for 137Cs showed a difference within 10% for all detectors. At this time, in some detectors, the result for 60Co shows a 10% higher error, which is estimated to be due to the random summing. It was not considered in tuning the simulation geometry, but it was found that improvements were needed to reflect the coincidence summing when construction the virtual spectrum in the future. The determined simulation geometry was applied to generate theoretical gamma-ray energy spectra of representative artificial radionuclides. In order to create a virtual spectrum similar to the real one, the background spectrum was measured for each detector without a source, and the simulation results were calculated in the form of having the same energy channel as the background spectrum. The background spectrum and theoretical spectra of artificial radionuclides for each detector were databased so that virtual spectra could be generated under desired conditions. The virtual spectrum was generated by adding a background spectrum and a spectrum obtained by multiplying the spectrum of the desired nuclide by the concentration of the nuclide. The validity of generated virtual spectra was verified using the pre-developed gamma spectrometry program. As a results of gamma spectrometry of virtual spectra, the virtual spectra was verified by showing a difference within 20% from the radioactivity value input when generating the virtual spectra.
Tin slag is a byproduct obtained from the tin smelting industry and contained naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM); therefore, it has to be managed accordingly. This study focuses on recycling the waste in exchange for natural aggregates for road pavement due to the potential features as construction materials. The main objective of this study is to analyze the use of tin slag by diluting its radioactivity level and as the replacement of natural aggregates while focusing on identifying the mechanical properties of the mixture. Tin slag was used as coarse aggregate in the range of 0–85% while the percentage of recycle glass was maintained at 15% and granite rocks in range of 0–100%. In this research, the concentration activity of NORM in tin slag have been measured using a gamma ray spectrometer. Few laboratory tests for the final product are carried out such as Los Angeles abrasion value (LAAV), aggregate crushing value (ACV), and aggregate impact value (AIV). This study was also conducted to analyze the leachability of As, Cd, Ba, Cr, Pb, Se and Ag from the different composition. From the measurement result, the average concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K are 318.21 Bq·kg−1, 602.07 Bq·kg−1 and 89.84 Bq·kg−1, respectively. The outdoor dose rates were found to be lower than 1.5 mSv·yr−1 in sample A1, A2 and A3 which is the recommended limit for construction materials. The sample toxicity was assessed using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and the concentration of the elements studied was analysed using ICP-MS. The result from the analysis indicated that the concentrations of the heavy metal elements were between 0.001–26.94 mg·kg−1, which is lower than the limit for each element. As a conclusion, addition of tin slag between 5 to 25% in exchange of granite rocks as road pavement have showed potential evidence in the test for construction material. Besides, it has low leachability to the environment while diluting the radioactivity level.
In Malaysia, there are several industries processing mineral ores generate residues containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) with activity concentrations above the control limits established by the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB). These industries use mineral ores or concentrated ores as their feed materials to produce or extract valuable sand minerals or rare earth compounds for use in another industries. The control limits for activity concentrations of Uranium-238 (U-238) and Thorium-232 (Th-232) and their decay series is 1.0 Becquerel per gram (Bq·g−1) while activity concentration of Potassium 40 (K-40) is 10.0 Bq·g−1. The management of residue containing NORM radioactivity above the control limits must be done in accordance with current rules and regulations including proper handling, storage, transportation and/or disposal. Where possible, appropriate mixture process with other non-radiological material would reduce the activity concentrations to below the control limits. Depending on specific characteristics of residue, appropriate approach to reuse or recycle should be encouraged as part of special waste management. For this case, an exemption to release it from radiological controls can be applied but require scrutiny review and approval process by AELB. In addition, the health and safety aspects and environmental issues should be assessed which to be done in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations. As a last resort, a disposal of residue containing NORM radioactivity shall be done at the landfill disposal facility approved by AELB and other relevant Authorities.
Recently, an international issue due to the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima has been highlighted. Since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in japan, marine environmental radioactivity survey has been strengthened with increased sampling frequency and range for seawater in territorial waters. And a stationary underwater radiation monitoring system including floating equipment-based system such as oceanographic buoys, tidal stations have been deployed on-site to detect abnormal radiological events. However, stationary monitoring systems may be insufficient for the early detection of abnormal radioactivity over a wide area, since it is a passive way of waiting for radioactive materials to spread in the ocean. So, our team developed a ship-mounted seawater gammaray monitoring system that can be operated remotely and in real time. In this study, it includes a detailed description of the design, installation, monitoring method, and operation of the system.
Forest fires produce various particulate organic matters (POMs) derived from the incomplete combution process of biomass. The POMs deposited in soil and sediments can affect the physicochemical properties of the subsurface environments. This study investigated the sorption and transport behavior of cesium (Cs) in soil-groundwater environment after wildfire. Soil samples were collected at two locations (GS1 & GS2) in Gangwon Province, Korea, at different depths (~5, ~20, and ~40 cm). The sampling site, where a large-scale forest fire occurred in 2017, was damaged almost 252 ha of forest. The soil characteristics were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), total organic carbon (TOC) analysis and organic petrography, and batch and fixed-bed column experiments were performed to evaluate the Cs uptake and retardation. The XRD patterns of the soils indicated that the mineral compositions of soils were quartz, feldspars (e.g., orthoclase & albite) with minor muscovite/illite. Quartz and feldspars were abundant in all studied soils, and GS2 sample contained higher feldspars and phyllosilicate minerals than the GS1. The TOC contents were high (7–8wt%) in the topsoils, decreasing with depth. The SEM and organic petrographic analyses showed that various organic carbon particles such as textinite, ulminite, fusinite (charcoal) and char existed. Presence of charcoal and char is the evidence of wildfires, even though their amount was few. Batch sorption experiments revealed that the Kd value decreased non-linearly as the Cs concentrations increased, and the sorption isotherms were fitted well with the Freundlich model. The Kd values of each soil were much greater in topsoils compared to subsoils at all experimental Cs concentrations. In particular, the GS1 topsoil had higher sorption capacity for cesium than GS2 subsoils, although it had low phyllosilicate mineral contents with realtively rich organic matter. The breakthrough curve of column experiments with high concentration (C0 ≈ 1×105 μg·L−1) also exhibited remarkable Cs retardation phenomena in topsoils. Their retardation factors (Rf,Cs) were max. 4 times greater than those of subsoils, showing Rf,Cs ≈ 43 to 45 for topsoils. At low concentration (C0 ≈ 1×104 μg·L−1), the Rf,Cs of topsoils (≈ 284 to 374) was slightly greater than that of subsoils (≈ 270 to 271). These results imply that POMs caused by wildfires can play important role on the Cs sorption and transport in the subsurface environments.
For the final disposal of radioactive waste generated during the operation of nuclear power plants, concentrations of 14 radionuclides including gross alpha have to be determined to meet nuclear regulatory requirements. In order to determine the gross alpha radioactivity in radioactive waste, the sample must be preprocessed into a solution which is usually a strong acid. When this solution is used to prepare the gross alpha measurement sample, it produces a lot of salt, which makes an accurate measurement difficult. Also it causes corrosion of a planchet, which causes problems in the disposal of waste in the future. For these reasons, an acid treatment of the solution was added to the existing preprocess procedure, which is also expected to improve the measurement error. Although the gross alpha measurement is known to be easy to perform and able to give rapid results, it cannot be used for quantitative analysis. This is because the energies emitted by the individual alpha nuclides are assumed to be produced from a single alpha emitted by the individual alpha nuclides are assumed to be produced from a single alpha emitter used as the standard calibration source. Also, due to self-absorption of alpha particles a counting rate depends on the thickness (or weight) of the residues on the planchet. In this study, we compared gross alpha radioactivity with and without an acid treatment to prepare gross alpha measurement samples. The weights of the treated samples increased by at most 5% after about 12 hours of evaporation to dryness, and then saturated or slightly decreased, while the weights of the untreated samples increased up to 20% over time. In addition, the radioactivities of the untreated samples were about two times those of the treated samples. This is considered to be due to differences both in the geometric shapes of the samples and the weights of their residues which resulted from whether acid treatment was applied or not. The results of this study showed that an acid treatment was beneficial in reducing both production corrosion and salts which could result in more reliable and constant measurements of gross alpha activity. The results showed that acid treatment was beneficial in reducing corrosion and measurement errors.
210Po is a naturally occurring radionuclide of 238U decay series with a half-life of 138.4 days. 210Po is decay products of 222Rn, which escapes into the atmosphere and present in all environments with aerosol particles. Also, 210Po has high radiotoxicity and emits a high alpha energy of 5.305 MeV, and it decays to finally become a stable isotope, 206Pb. Therefore, 210Po entering the body by continuously ingestion or inhalation is likely to cause severe damage to the bone marrow, kidney and spleen and other sites in the body. Accordingly, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that screening level of gross alpha for drinking water not exceed 0.5 Bq·L−1. Alpha spectrometry has been mainly used for analysis of 210Po, and for the accurate measurement of alpha particle with short range, it is essential to prepare suitable source for alpha detection. The 210Po alpha source is made by a spontaneous deposition method in which polonium is adsorbed thin and flat onto a metal disc, such as silver, nickel and copper. There are various pretreatment methods to separate and concentrate polonium from water samples prior to spontaneous deposition, including Fe(OH)3 or MnO2 co-precipitation and evaporation. However, in the case of co-precipitation, sample contamination or loss of polonium may occur through the experimental processes, and evaporation lead to not only time-consuming process but also may cause loss of polonium due to the low boiling point of polonium. Therefore, in order to compensate for these problems, an efficient polonium analysis method that directly collects polonium from the original sample without a pretreatment is required. In this study, 210Po in bottled drinking water sold in Korea was analyzed using alpha spectrometry. A high purity silver disc (99.99%) was inserted into a newly designed polonium deposition kit to quickly and conveniently collect polonium from a water sample. The polonium alpha detecting source was made effectively only by the spontaneous deposition method without a complicated pretreatment. The source was measured using a PIPS detector, and the radioactivity concentration of 210Po was calculated using 209Po as a yield tracer.
Gamma-ray spectroscopy, which is an appropriate method to identify and quantify radionuclides, is widely utilized in radiological leakage monitoring of nuclear facilities, assay of radioactive wastes, and decontamination evaluation of post-processing such as decommissioning and remediation. For example, in the post-processing, it is conducted to verify the radioactivity level of the site before and after the work and decide to recycle or dispose the generated waste. For an accurate evaluation of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides, the measurement should be carried out near the region of interest on site, or a sample analysis should be performed in the laboratory. However, the region is inaccessible due to the safety-critical nature of nuclear facilities, and excessive radiation exposure to workers could be caused. In addition, in the case of subjects that may be contaminated inside such as pipe structures generated during decommissioning, surveying is usually done over the outside of them only, so the effectiveness of the result is limited. Thus, there is a need to develop a radiation measurement system that can be available in narrow space and can sense remotely with excellent performance. A liquid light guide (LLG), unlike typical optical fiber, is a light guide which has a liquid core. It has superior light transmissivity than any optical fiber and can be manufactured with a larger diameter. Additionally, it can deliver light with much greater intensity with very low attenuation along the length because there is no packing fraction and it has very high radiation resistant characteristics. Especially, thanks to the good transmissivity in UV-VIS wavelength, the LLG can well transmit the scintillation light signals from scintillators that have relatively short emission wavelengths, such as LaBr3:Ce and CeBr3. In this study, we developed a radiation sensor system based on a LLG for remote gamma-ray spectroscopy. We fabricated a radiation sensor with LaBr3:Ce scintillator and LLG, and acquired energy spectra of Cs-137 and Co-60 remotely. Furthermore, the results of gamma-ray spectroscopy using different lengths of LLG were compared with those obtained without LLG. Energy resolutions were estimated as 7.67%, 4.90%, and 4.81% at 662, 1,173, and 1,332 keV, respectively for 1 m long LLG, which shows similar values of a general NaI(Tl) scintillator. With 3 m long LLG, the energy resolutions were 7.92%, 5.48%, and 5.07% for 662, 1,173, and 1,332 keV gamma-rays, respectively.
In order to monitor the contamination of groundwater due to unplanned release of radioactive materials and the spread to off-site environments, the nuclear power plants (NPPs) conduct groundwater monitoring program (GWMP) in Korea. The GWMP should be established based on the groundwater flow model reflecting the conceptual site model (CSM) of the NPP’s site. In this study, in order to optimize the GWMP, the existing CSM and the groundwater flow model of the domestic NPPs site was updated by reflecting the latest groundwater level. As part of the CSM improvement, the hydrogeological units were subdivided more detailed from three to six through the review of hydrogeological characteristics of the NPPs site. In addition, major variables that affect groundwater flow, such as water conductivity, have been updated. The groundwater flow model was revised overall as the CSM was improved. In particular, the excavation depth of the structure and backfill area generated during the construction stage of the NPP structures was accurately reflected, and the drainage boundary conditions were realistically reflected. To verify the revised groundwater flow model, steady-state correction was performed using the groundwater level measured in April, 2021. As a results of the steady-state correction, the standard error of estimate, root mean square (RMS), normalized RMS, and the correlation coefficient were 0.32 m, 1.692 m, 5.608%, and 0.964, respectively. This means that the groundwater flow model is reasonably constructed. The CSM and groundwater flow model improved in this study will be used to optimize the monitoring location of groundwater in NPPs.
There are many Systems, Structures, and Components (SSCs) in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). The systems include radiological waste treatment system, spent fuel pool cooling, emergency core cooling systems, etc. The structures include reactor building, piping vaults, radioactive waste storage facilities, etc. The components include valves, pumps, piping segments, etc. Radionuclides exist in some of these SSCs and unplanned release may occur when leaks or spills from them. And also Work Practice (WP) is another reason of unplanned release in NPPs. The WP is defined as an action taken by individuals during maintenance, operational or support activities, which could result in or prevent a spill or leak of a radioactive solid, liquid or gas that has a credible mechanism for contamination of groundwater. According to the results of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) survey, a total of 323 unplanned release event occurred at US NPPs from 1970 to 2014. Among them, 219 events were counted to have occurred at pressurized water reactors (PWRs). In addition, it was confirmed that 41 of the 44 PWR sites (about 93%) in the US, operated at the time of the survey period, had experienced at least one unplanned release events of licensed material which impacted groundwater. This means that the US PWR sites have experienced an average of approximately 5 unplanned release event per site. The source with the most unplanned releases, including SSCs and WP, was miscellaneous systems with a percentage of about 33% (72 events). Miscellaneous systems include pipes, and it was confirmed that unplanned releases mainly occurred in pipes such as the main steam system, condensate and feedwater system, and emergency core cooling system. And the percentage was high in the order of WPs (21%, 45 events), radioactive effluents (20%, 43 events), refueling water storage (8%, 17 events), radioactive waste/material operations (7%, 16 events), spent fuel storage (5%, 12 events), unknown (4%, 9 events), and structures (2%, 5 events). The history of the unplanned release of the US NPPs will be considered when revising major SSCs in the domestic NPP groundwater monitoring program.
A radioactive complex disaster refers to a situation in which large-scale natural and social disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and chemical incidents occur in addition to nuclear power plants accident simultaneously. For the safe evacuation of residents, protective equipment must be prepared appropriately and sufficiently. We presented effectiveness, sufficiency, and versatility as selection criteria for choosing the essential protective equipment. The results of the survey of residents and local public officials suggested that masks, radioactivity meters, protective buses, and air purifiers have high priorities. Finally, through consultation with central government officials, masks, measuring instruments, and adsorption filters in protective buses were presented as prototypes. These items can effectively protect the people even in the event of a radioactive complex disaster.
To rationalize the protection of spent nuclear fuel transport storage cask, we intend to investigate the status of domestic and foreign safety regulations and related technologies to develop sabotage scenarios and analyze the protection performance and radiation impact of transport storage cask. It is essential to conduct an aircraft collision safety evaluation on spent nuclear fuel transportation and storage casks in Korea due to changes in laws and regulations related to nuclear power plant design and demand for enhanced safety. Domestic and foreign research on the protection performance of spent nuclear fuel transport storage cask was based on 9.11 events, and the results of all studies show that the speed of the aircraft and leakage of nuclear materials are insignificant. The Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) calculates Aerosol emissions from spent fuel damage in the event of sabotage and calculates Source Term based on the Durbin-Luna model. In this paper, radiation sensitivity analysis was performed due to damage to the carrier according to the size of the accident, assuming that there was a hole enough to basket from the external shell among the collision scenarios identified for domestic cask models.