In this study, molten salt experiments were performed using a multi-purpose molten salt experimental loop to evaluate the corrosion and thermodynamic properties of the molten salt. The multi-purpose molten salt experimental loop is made of 1-inch austenitic 316 stainless steel, and 1/4-inch austenitic 316 stainless steel tubes were welded on the surface of a 1-inch pipe to measure temperatures of molten salt. During the experiment, the molten salt leaked due to corrosion of the welded part of the 1/4-inch tube connected to the 1-inch pipe. Therefore, the cause of corrosion damage of the leaked welded part was analyzed. The effect of NaCl-MgCl2 salt selected as the molten salt on corrosion failure was considered. And based on the operation data of molten salt experiments, the time of occurrence of the issue was estimated. Lastly, the cause of corrosion failure was estimated by comparing and analyzing the pipe shape before and after failure using SEM-EDS.

Investigations and monitoring of environmental radiation are important for preventing expected accidents or for early detection of unexpected accidents, in nuclear facilities and the surrounding. In the event of an environmental radiation accident, it should be possible to identify and analyze the radiation-contaminated area. Therefore, a rapid radiation monitoring system is required for immediate response and necessary measures. In this study, the distribution of radiation mapping is performed on a contaminated area using 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional contour mapping techniques. The entire surrounding area can be understood at a glance by displaying the radiation contour line on the map of the measured area.

When decommissioning a nuclear power plant, the structure must be made to a disposable size. In general, the cutting process is essential when dismantling a nuclear power plant. Mainly, thermal cutting method is used to cutting metal structures. The aerosols generated during thermal cutting have a size distribution of less than 1 μm. The contaminated structures are able to generate radioactive aerosols in the decommissioning. Radioactive aerosols of 1 μm or less are deposited in the respiratory tract by workers’ breathing, causing the possibility of internal exposure. Therefore, workers must be protected from the risk of exposure to radioactive aerosols. Prior knowledge of aerosols generated during metal cutting is important to ensure worker safety. In this study, the physical and chemical properties of the aerosol were evaluated by measuring the number and mass concentrations of aerosols generated when cutting SUS304 and SA508 using the laser cutting method. High-resolution aerosol measuring equipment (HR-ELPI+, DEKATI) was used to measure the concentration of aerosols. The HR-ELPI+ is an impactor-type aerosol measuring equipment that measures the aerosol number concentration distribution in the aerodynamic diameter range of 6 nm to 10 um in real-time. And analyze the mass concentration of the aerosol according to the diameter range through the impactor. ICP-MS was used for elemental mass concentration analysis in the aerosol. Analytical elements were Fe, Cr, Ni and Mn. For the evaluation of physical and chemical properties, the MMAD of each element and CMAD were calculated in the aerosol distribution. Under the same cutting conditions, it was confirmed that the number concentration of aerosols generated from both materials had a uni-modal distribution with a peak around 0.1 um. CMAD was calculated to be 0.072 um for both SUS304 and SA508. The trend of the CMAD calculation results is the same even when the cutting conditions are changed. In the case of MMAD, it was confirmed that SUS304 had an MMAD of around 0.1 μm in size for only Fe, Cr and Mn. And SA508, Fe, Cr, Ni and Mn were all confirmed to have MMAD around 0.1 μm in size. The results of this study show that a lot of aerosols in the range of less than 1 μm, especially around 0.1 μm in size, are generated when metal is cut using laser cutting. Therefore, in order to protect the internal exposure of workers to laser metal cutting when decommissioning NPPs, it is necessary to protect from nano-sized aerosols beyond micron size.

At high temperatures, molten salt has heat transfer properties like water. Molten salt has the characteristics of a strong natural circulation tendency, large heat capacity, and low thermal conductivity. Unlike sodium, molten salt does not react explosively exothermically with air. However, molten salt has a strong tendency to corrode materials, and its properties are easily changed by a sensitive reaction to oxygen and moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to study material corrosion properties and chemical control methods for nuclear fuel salts, which are eutectic mixtures. In this study, the optimal operation method of the thermal convection loop is established to perform the experiments on the molten salt. The process describes briefly as follows. The operation step consists of preparation, purification, transportation, and operation. In the preparation, the step checks the entire structure and equipment (TC, blower, vacuum pump, etc.). And melt the salt mixture at a high temperature (670°C) slowly in the purification step. Before injecting the molten salt, the surface temperature of the entire loop must retain temperature (about 500°C) constantly. Completely melted molten salt in the melting pot is flow along the pipe of the thermal convection loop in the transportation step. Lastly, the convection of molten salt goes to keep by the temperature difference. The thermal convection loop can be utilized for various experiments such as corrosion tests, component analyses, chemistry control, etc.