After the permanent shut down of Kori Unit 1, various decommissioning activities will be implemented, including decontamination, segmentation, waste management, and site restoration. During the decommissioning period, waste management is among the most important activities to ensure that the process proceeds smoothly and within the expected timeframe. Furthermore, the radioactive waste generated during the operation should be sent to a disposal facility to complete the decommissioning project. Square and cylindrical concrete re-package drums were generated during the 1980s and 1990s. The square, containing boron concentrates, and cylindrical, containing spent resin, concrete re-package drums have been stored in a radioactive waste storage building. Homogeneous radioactive waste, including boron concentrates, spent resin, and sludge, should be solidified or packaged in high-integrity containers (HICs). This study investigates the sequential segmentation process for the separation of contaminated and non-contaminated regions, the re-packaging process of segmented or crushed cement-solidified boron concentrate, and re-packaging in HICs. The conceptual design evaluates the re-packaging plan for the segmented and crushed cement-solidified waste using HICs, which is acceptable in a disposal facility, and the quantity of generated HICs from the treatment process.

Currently, off-site dose calculations for nuclear power plants are conducted using a computer program (K-DOSE 60). The program is developed based on the regulatory guidelines of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), which is a domestic nuclear regulatory agency. In this study, a domestic application of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) TRS (Technical Reports Series)-472 methodology for 3H and 14C in liquid effluents was studied. The dose-evaluation methods adopted and the program configuration for dose evaluation are described based on 3H and 14C in the liquid-effluent-evaluation module of the computer program. The accuracy of the program is verified by comparing the program-calculated results with hand calculation values. Furthermore, a comparative evaluation with LADTAP II, which is a liquid-effluent-evaluation methodology developed by the U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission), is performed. The result confirms that the program-calculated results for the IAEA TRS-472 methodology are consistent with the hand calculation values. Meanwhile, the result of comparative evaluation with LADTAP II indicates different results depending on the methodology used.

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.

In Korea, Starting with the permanent shutdown of Kori Unit1, decommissioning of commercial nuclear power plant is underway. Although various technologies are required to decommissioning a nuclear power plant, the most important technology is the characterization of radioactive waste. In particular, it is possible to establish an accurate decommissioning plan and estimate cost for radioactive waste through accurate characterization of reactor vessel (RV), reactor vessel internal (RVI) and bioshield, which are highly activated waste. In Slovakia’s V1 nuclear power plant, two units were shutdown in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and decommissioning license was approved in July 2011. Before approving the decommissioning license, the decommissioning database project was carried out from 2008 to 2011. At this time, radioactive evaluation was performed through sampling and radiological analysis of radioactive structures.

After the permanent shutdown of K1 in 2017, decommissioning processes have attracted great attention. According to the current decommissioning roadmap, the dismantling of the activated components of K1 may start in 2026, following the removal of its spent fuel. Since the reactor vessel (RV) and reactor vessel internal (RVI) of K1 contain massive components and are relatively highly activated, their decommissioning process should be conducted carefully in terms of radiological and industrial safety. For achieving maximum efficiency of nuclear waste management processes for K1, we present activation analysis of the segmentation process and waste classification of the RV and RVI components of K1. For RVI, the active fuel regions and some parts of the upper and lower active regions are classified as intermediate-level waste (ILW), while other components are classified as low-level waste (LLW). Due to the RVI’s complex structure and high activation, we suggest various underwater segmentation techniques which are expected to reduce radiation exposure and generate approximately nine ILW and nineteen very low level waste (VLLW)/LLW packages. For RV, the active fuel region and other components are classified as LLW, VLLW, and clearance waste (CW). In this case, we suggest in-situ remote segmentation in air, which is expected to generate approximately forty-two VLLW/LLW packages.