In accordance with the notification of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), environmental impact assessments around nuclear power plants are conducted annually and the results are disclosed to the public. The effects of direct radiation exposure from nuclear power plants as well as liquid effluents and gaseous effluents are taken into consideration in the evaluation of dose calculation for residents. In the United States, regulatory guidelines on direct radiation exposure are described in Reg. Guide 4.1, and the effects of direct radiation are evaluated through regulatory guidelines in Korea. We are going to review optimal evaluation method by reviewing the direct radiation exposure evaluation method currently being conducted in domestic nuclear power plants and the direct radiation exposure evaluation method in overseas nuclear power plants such as in the United States.

In 2022, new regulatory guidelines were announced in relation to the off-site dose calculation (ODC), and accordingly, measures to improve the off-site does calculation program (ODCP), kdose60, were reviewed. The main consideration is, first, that if multiple nuclear facilities are operated on the same site, the boundaries of the restricted areas shall be set as the overlapping outer boundaries of the restricted areas determined by calculation for each nuclear facility. Second, the external exposure caused by direct radiation from a number of nuclear facilities in the same site must be partially or fully applied depending on the facility and site characteristics. Third, the dose conversion coefficient should be evaluated by checking whether the effect of the daughter nuclides is properly reflected. Fourth, the soil contamination period is a factor to consider that radioactive substances deposited on the surface, such as particulate nuclides, affect residents over a long period of time. Fifth, due to the recent construction of Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6, there is a change in the site boundary of the Kori/Saeul site, so as the site boundary is expanded, it is required to add an exposure dose assessment point due to gas effluents and change the exposure dose assessment point according to crop intake. Therefore, through this study, the direction for improving the ODCP will be prepared by reviewing the recent revision of the regulatory guidelines.

The buffer block, which is one of the main components of the engineering barrier system, plays an essential role in mitigating groundwater infiltration and radionuclide transport in a high-level nuclear waste repository. To achieve those purposes, the compacted buffer block must satisfy the functional safety criteria for dry density, water content, and many other components. In this study, the compation curves of the compacted bentonite-sand mixtures were evaluated to identify the relationship between the dry density and the water content of the buffer material. The floating die press at 10 MPa and the cold isostatic press at 40 MPa were applied to compaction of a buffer block with a diameter of 100 mm and a thickness of 10 mm. The condition of a bentonite-sand mixing ratio was 6:4, 7:3, 8:2, and 9:1 with 9 to 21% water content. As a result, the maximum dry density increases, the optimum moisture content decreases as the sand content of buffer material increases. This study can provide the conditions for manufacturing the compacted bentonite-sand buffer block.

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.

Even though it is emphasized to apply safeguards-by-design (SBD) concept in the early phase of the design of a new nuclear facilities, there is no clear guideline or tools for the practical SBD implementation. Generally known approach is trying to review whether there is any conflicts or shortcomings on a conceptual safeguards components in a design information. This study tries to build a systematic tools which can be easily applied to safeguards analysis. In evaluating the safeguards system or performance in a facility, it is essential to analyze the diversion path for nuclear materials. Diversion paths, however, can be either extremely simplified or complicated depending on the level of knowledge and purpose of specific person who do analyze in the field. In the context, this study discusses the applicability of an event tree and fault tree method to generating diversion paths systematically. The essential components constituting the diversion path were reviewed and the logical flow for systematically creating the diversion path was developed. The path generation algorithm based on the facility design components and logical flow as well as the initial information of the nuclear materials and material flows was test using event tree and fault tree analysis tools. The usage and limitation of the applicability of this two logic methods are discussed and idea to incorporate the logic algorithm into the practical program tools is suggested.The results will be used to develop a program module which can systematically generate diversion paths using the event tree and fault tree method.

Molten salt consisting primarily of eutectic LiCl-KCl is currently being used in electrorefiners in the Fuel Conditioning Facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Options are currently being evaluated for storing this salt outside of the argon atmosphere hot cell. The hygroscopic nature of eutectic LiCl-KCl makes is susceptible to deliquescence in air followed by extreme corrosion of metallic cannisters. In this study, the effect of occluding the salt into a zeolite on water sorption/desorption was tested. Two zeolites were investigated: Na-Y and zeolite 4A. Na-Y was ineffective at occluding a high percentage of the salt at either 10 or 20wt% loading. Zeolite-4A was effective at occluding the salt with high efficiency at both loading levels. Weight gain in salt occluded zeolite-4A (SOZ) from water sorption at 20% relative humidity and 40℃ was 17wt% for 10% SOZ and 10wt% for 20% SOZ. In both cases, neither deliquescence nor corrosion occurred over a period of 31 days. After hydration, most of the water could be driven off by heating the hydrated salt occluded zeolite to 530℃. However, some HCl forms during dehydration due to salt hydrolysis. Over a wide range of temperatures (320–700℃) and ramp rates (5, 10, and 20℃ min−1), HCl formation was no more than 0.6% of the Cl− in the original salt.

The Far-UltraViolet (FUV) imager onboard the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft provides two-dimensional limb images of oxygen airglow in the nightside low-latitude ionosphere that are used to determine the oxygen ion density. As yet, no FUV limb imager has been used for climatological analyses of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs). To examine the potential of ICON/FUV for this purpose, we statistically investigate small-scale (~180 km) fluctuations of oxygen ion density in its limb images. The seasonal-longitudinal variations of the fluctuation level reasonably conform to the EPB statistics in existing literature. To further validate the ICON/FUV data quality, we also inspect climatology of the ambient (unfiltered) nightside oxygen ion density. The ambient density exhibits (1) the well-known zonal wavenumber-4 signatures in the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) and (2) off-equatorial enhancement above the Caribbean, both of which agree with previous studies. Merits of ICON/FUV observations over other conventional data sets are discussed in this paper. Furthermore, we suggest possible directions of future work, e.g., synergy between ICON/FUV and the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission.

A compacted bentonite buffer is a major component of engineered barrier systems, which are designed for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. In most countries, the target temperature required to maintain safe functioning is below 100°C. If the target temperature of the compacted bentonite buffer can be increased above 100°C, the disposal area can be dramatically reduced. To increase the target temperature of the buffer, it is necessary to investigate its properties at temperatures above 100°C. Although some studies have investigated thermal-hydraulic properties above 100°C, few have evaluated the water suction of compacted bentonite. This study addresses that knowledge gap by evaluating the water suction variation for compacted Korean bentonite in the 25–150°C range, with initial saturations of 0 and 0.22 under constant saturation conditions. We found that water suction decreased by 5–20% for a temperature increase of 100–150°C.

The elements that impact the dynamics and collaborations of waves and particles in the magnetosphere of planets have been considered here. Saturn’s internal magnetosphere is determined by substantiated instabilities and discovered to be an exceptional zone of wave activity. Interchanged instability is found to be one of the responsible events in view of temperature anisotropy and energization processes of magnetospheric species. The generated active ions alongside electrons that constitute the populations of highly magnetized planets like Saturn’s ring electron current are taken into consideration in the current framework. The previous and similar method of characteristics and the perturbed distribution function have been used to derive dispersion relation. In incorporating this investigation, the characteristics of electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave (EMIC) waves are determined by the composition of ions in plasmas through which the waves propagate. The effect of ring distribution illustrates non-monotonous description on growth rate (GR) depending upon plasma parameters picked out. Observations made by Cassini found appropriate for modern study, have been applied to the Kronian magnetosphere. Using Maxwellian ring distribution function of ions and detailed mathematical formulation, an expression for dispersion relation as well as GR and real frequency (RF) are evaluated. Analysis of plasma parameters shows that, proliferating EMIC waves are not developed much when propagation is parallelly aligned with magnetosphere as compared to waves propagating in oblique direction. GR for the oblique case, is influenced by temperature anisotropy as well as by alternating current (AC) frequency, whereas it is much affected only by AC frequency for parallel propagating waves.

During their respective missions, the spacecraft Voyager and Cassini measured several Saturn magnetosphere parameters at different radial distances. As a result of information gathered throughout the journey, Voyager 1 discovered hot and cold electron distribution components, number density, and energy in the 6–18 Rs range. Observations made by Voyager of intensity fluctuations in the 20–30 keV range show electrons are situated in the resonance spectrum’s high energy tail. Plasma waves in the magnetosphere can be used to locate Saturn’s inner magnetosphere’s plasma clusters, which are controlled by Saturn’s spin. Electromagnetic electron cyclotron (EMEC) wave ring distribution function has been investigated. Kinetic and linear approaches have been used to study electromagnetic cyclotron (EMEC) wave propagation. EMEC waves’ stability can be assessed by analyzing the dispersion relation’s effect on the ring distribution function. The primary goal of this study is to determine the impact of the magnetosphere parameters which is observed by Cassini. The magnetosphere of Saturn has also been observed. When the plasma parameters are increased as the distribution index, the growth/damping rate increases until the magnetic field model affects the magnetic field at equator, as can be seen in the graphs. We discuss the outputs of our model in the context of measurements made in situ by the Cassini spacecraft.

In accordance with the notification of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), environmental impact assessments around nuclear power plants are conducted annually and the results are disclosed to the public. KHNP evaluates the dose of residents around nuclear power plants using the K-DOSE60 program that reflects ICRP-60. K-DOSE60 calculates the expected exposure dose for residents by modifying the atmospheric dispersion and deposition factors evaluation module (XOQDOQ), gaseous effluent evaluation module (GASDOS) and liquid effluent evaluation module (LIQDOS) developed by the US NRC. The current evaluation program is the Bounding Assessments method, which evaluates under the assumption that residents reside at the exclusion area boundary (EAB), and has a disadvantage in that the estimated exposure dose is evaluated too conservatively. In the EPRI, instead of the conservative method that is conventionally performed for the residents’ dose evaluation method, a plan to improve the accuracy of the dose evaluation reflecting the site characteristics was reviewed. In addition, improvements were derived through the review of NPPs operation status, experience cases and the latest technology.

The Co-60 is a radioactive material widely used in domestic and foreign medical, industrial, health and research fields. Currently, world market for the Co-60 is about 80 MCi/yr and is expected to grow to 150 MCi/yr by 2025. For the Co-60, Nordion of Canada occupies about 80% of the world market. In the case of Korea, a small amount of sources with relatively low radioactivity intensity are produced using research reactors, but most of the Co-60 is entirely dependent on imports. Accordingly, although the technical feasibility of the Co-60 production technology using the PHWR was evaluated, it was evaluated as a negative result on the additional construction of a hot cell, core management, safety analysis and economic feasibility. Canada, the main producer of the Co-60, is also conducting research on the Co-60 production technology using PWR with GE-Hitachi and Westinghouse as the number of PHWR is expected to decrease. In Korea, it is necessary to preoccupy the Co-60 production technology and auxiliary technology using the PWR by utilizing excellent technology, and active research is being conducted to secure unique nuclear power technology that does not depend on foreign countries. Therefore, in this study, the thickness and weight of the radioactive shielding required for handling (transport) of Co-60 produced using the PWR were calculated.

The off-site dose calculation is regularly carried out at the nuclear power plants in order to evaluate off-site dose from gaseous and liquid effluent during normal operation. In 2009, the off-site calculation program (K-DOSE60) was developed in accordance with ICRP-60 by KHNP. This software needs meteorological data, gaseous and liquid effluent data, and various other input parameters to evaluate off-site dose. As a result, it takes a certain amount of time for the user to enter accurate input data and verify calculated results, and it is difficult to intuitively determine them because of providing textbased calculated results. Therefore, in this study, the improvement of the calculation program was considered so that a more reliable and effective evaluation could be performed when calculating the off-site dose. The main improvements of the off-site dose calculation program (ODCP) are as follows. First, it is developed as the network-based program to link with meteorological data, and gaseous and liquid effluent data to remove input errors and simplify data transfer. Second, through validation process of input data, input errors are eliminated. Third, the input data and calculated results are visually provided so that the user can easily determine the evaluation results. Fourth, database of input and calculated results is constructed to facilitate evaluation result history management.

The buffer material plays a role in preventing the excessive rise in temperature generated from the high-level radioactive waste by dissipating the decay heat to the rock. For this reason, the buffer material must have thermal properties to ensure the performance of the deep geological repository. This study measured the thermal conductivity of sand-bentonite according to the mixing ratio to improve the thermal properties. The compacted buffer was manufactured with a sand-bentonite mixing ratio of 6:4, 7:3, and 8:2 with 9 to 12% water content. As a result, the thermal conductivity increases as the ratio of sand increases. As a further study, it is necessary to experiment on whether sand-bentonite’s hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical performance is suitable for the stable operation of a repository.

A geological repository system consists of a disposal canister with packed spent fuel, buffer material, backfill material, and intact rock. Among these, the bentonite buffer is one of the most important components to assure the safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). As the bentonite buffer is installed as a block type, it is important to fabricate homogeneously. Generally, floating die method and cold isostatic press (CIP) method are used to fabricate bentonite blocks. In this paper, two bentonite blocks were produced using float die method at first, and CIP method was additionally applied to just one block. After that, several samples were cored from two blocks. The dry density and water content of several samples produced from two blocks were measured.

PWR spent nuclear fuel generally showed an oxide film thickness of 100 um or more with a combustion rate of 45 MWD/MTU or higher, while CANDU spent nuclear fuel with an average combustion rate of about 7.8 MWD/MTU had few issues related to hydride corrosion. Even based on the actual power plant data, it is known that the thickness of the oxide film is 10 μm or less on the surface of the coating tube, and brittleness caused by hydride is shown from the thickness of the oxide film of about 80 μm, so it is not worth considering. However, since corrosion may be accelerated by lithium ions, lithium ions may be said to be a very important factor in controlling the hydro-chemical environment of heavy water. Lithium has a negative effect on the corrosion of zirconium alloys. However, since local below 5 ppb to prevent corrosion. maintained at a concentration between 0.35 and 0.55 ppm. Hydrogen is known to have a positive effect by suppressing radioactive decomposition of the coolant and suppressing cracks in nickelbased alloys. However, too much hydrogen can produce hydride in a pressure tube composed of Zr-2.5Nb, so DH (Disolved Hydrogen) maintains the range of 0.27–0.90 ppm. pH and conductivity are completely determined by lithium ions, and DH can be completely removed below 5 ppb to prevent corrosion. Therefore, for cladding corrosion simulation of the CANDU spent nuclear fuel, a hydrochemical of the equipment, not 310°C, and 14 uS·Cm−1 is targeted as conditions for corrosion acceleration. In addition, for acceleration, the temperature was set to 345°C (margin 10°C), which is the maximum accommodation range of the equipment, not 310°C.

The manufactured nuclear fuel assembly is loaded into the nuclear reactor after the core design, and is finally discharged to the wet storage pool after depletion for 3 cycles. The discharged spent nuclear fuel is transported and stored in a dry storage system at the on-site of the nuclear power plant, which is cooled by natural convection, and undergoes final disposal or reprocessing through an intermediate dry storage facility. In this series of processes, the characteristics of the final product, the spent fuel, vary depending on the environmental conditions, so it is essential to manage each history data to verify the long-term integrity of the spent nuclear fuel. In this paper, safety information on spent nuclear fuel is described in order to establish technical requirements that should be considered in each stage of storage, transport, reprocessing, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Comprehensive safety information on spent nuclear fuel is basically calculated from basic information that considers characteristic information that can be obtained through the manufacture and design of nuclear fuel assemblies, operation history in a nuclear reactor, and location history in a wet storage pool. It can be divided into secondary production information (SF Burnup, Nuclide Inventory, etc.) and tertiary integrity-related information obtained through cladding inspection during spent fuel storage. KHNP produces this multi-layered information according to the production stage and manages it through the comprehensive management system of the spent nuclear fuel, and safety information with some errors is not only improved through re-verification but also continuously updated. In this paper, the spent nuclear fuel safety information was derived based on various information calculated in the entire process of being discharged and managed in a wet storage pool, including new fuel manufacturing information and depletion history. Such safety information will be used as basic data for long-term safe management of spent nuclear fuel, and will be continuously produced and managed. In the future, additional discussions will be held on the safety information of the spent nuclear fuel through consultation with KORAD and regulatory agencies.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate dogs' sociality toward human strangers in the absence of an owner by analyzing changes in dogs' behavior during a task of making eye contact with an experimenter to obtain snacks. A total of 17 dogs were divided into groups of high sociality (HS; n = 10, 4.4 ± 3.87 years) and low-sociality (LS; n = 7, 3.71 ± 2.06 years). A comparison of the average frequency of five behavioral types-fear-appeasement behaviors (P<0.001), sociability-related behaviors (P<0.001), stress-related behaviors (P<0.05), destruction (P < 0.001), and vocalization (P < 0.001)-between the groups showed a significant difference in all five categories. Together, these results suggest that dogs with high sociality are less exposed to various stresses and have a higher ability to adapt to new environments than dogs with low sociality. This can predict dogs' adaptability to a new environment and positive outcomes in their daily life with the owner.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of four types of environmental enrichment on the improvement of companion dogs' behavioral problems due to separation anxiety. A total of 21 dogs of various breeds were included in the study. Data were collected to investigate the behaviors associated with anxiety in dogs, including vocalization, elimination, escape attempts, and destructiveness. A first stage, in which the dog and owner were together (P0), lasted 15 min, and a second stage, in which the dog and owner were separated (P1), lasted 15 min. After the dog and owner were separated (P1), the third stage (P2), during which the environment was enriched, lasted 20 min, and the fourth stage, following environment enrichment (P3), lasted 15 min. The results of the study indicated that compared to P0, the frequency of problematic behavior was highest during the 15 min following separation from the owner (P1). Following environmental enrichment, the average frequency of problematic behaviors in P2 decreased (P < 0.001) compared to P1. Environmental enrichment can also be used appropriately in the case of companion dogs, including shelter dogs or experimental dogs that use a limited kennel, and is a particularly effective means of improving the quality of life of dogs.

Graphite Isotope Ratio Method (GIRM) can be used to estimate plutonium production in a graphite-moderated reactor. This study presents verification results for the GIRM combined with a 3-D polynomial regression function to estimate cumulative plutonium production in a graphite-moderated reactor. Using the 3-D Monte-Carlo method, verification was done by comparing the cumulative plutonium production with the GIRM. The GIRM can estimate plutonium production for specific sampling points using a function that is based on an isotope ratio of impurity elements. In this study, the 10B/11B isotope ratio was chosen and calculated for sampling points. Then, 3-D polynomial regression was used to derive a function that represents a whole core cumulative plutonium production map. To verify the accuracy of the GIRM with polynomial regression, the reference value of plutonium production was calculated using a Monte-Carlo code, MCS, up to 4250 days of depletion. Moreover, the amount of plutonium produced in certain axial layers and fuel pins at 1250, 2250, and 3250 days of depletion was obtained and used for additional verification. As a result, the difference in the total cumulative plutonium production based on the MCS and GIRM results was found below 3.1% with regard to the root mean square (RMS) error.