In response to the global transition towards carbon neutrality, there's an increasing emphasis on sustainable energy solutions, with offshore wind power playing a crucial role, especially in South Korea. This study presents an AI-based safety management system specifically designed for offshore wind operators. At the heart of this system is a machine learning algorithm that processes sensor data to automatically recognize human behavior and improve the accuracy of predicting worker actions and conditions. Such predictive analytics not only refines the analysis of behavioral patterns, but also increases the effectiveness of accident prevention. The results of this research are expected to significantly improve safety measures in offshore wind facilities and further sustainable energy initiatives.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study was to review roadway management strategies that can be utilized in the event of a radiological emergency, select feasible alternatives, and simulate a portion of the West Coast network to analyze the effectiveness of these strategies. METHODS : The methodology of the study involved reviewing the relevant literature, extracting the implications, establishing an analysis procedure, and selecting an effectiveness evaluation scale. Using a national transportation database, a network was constructed using Toba, a macroscopic model. RESULTS : A reverse-flow lane system was applied to the West Coast Expressway Glory IC–Hampyeong IC (total 25 km), and a plan to increase the number of lanes was applied to the Seokgyo Street–Shinpyeong Intersection on National Route 23 (total extension 28 km). Consequently, both road management strategies were found to be effective. CONCLUSIONS : This study examined roadway management strategies that can be utilized in the event of a radiological emergency, selected feasible alternatives, and simulated a portion of the West Coast network to verify the effectiveness of these strategies. In the case of reverse flow lanes, it is most effective when applied to expressways that can restrict the entrance and exit of vehicles. In the case of increasing the number of lanes, it is most effective when applied to general roads, and institutional arrangements should be made to enable two-way traffic to use the reserved shoulder lanes.

Hypochaeris radicata, native to Europe and Eurasia, is a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family. In Korea, H. radicata was reported in 1992, mainly in Jeju Island, and gradually spreading to the inland. It overwinters in the form of a rosette and blooms yellow flowers from May to June. H. radicata propagates by seeds and rhizomes. The germination temperature of the seed is 15/20°C (day/night), and the rhizome forms a new plant at a depth of 2-3 cm in the soil. The roots of H. radicata secrete allelochemicals that inhibit the development of other plants. Some use it as a salad or forage substitute but to a limited extent. However, extensive research on ampicillin contained in H. radicata has been conducted, and its anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects have been recognized. There are only a few methods to manage H. radicata both culturally and physically. In orchards, soil treatments such as oxyfluorfen and diclobenil, or nonselective foliar treatments such as glufosinate-ammonium and glyphosate are used. Notably, there are no known biological control agents.

According to attached Table 1 of the Enforcement Ordinance of the Nuclear Safety Act, the effective dose limit of transport workers shall not exceed 6 mSv per year. In addition, the enforcement ordinance defines a transport worker as a person who transports radioactive substances outside the radiation management area and does not correspond to a radiation worker. In the nuclear power plants (NPPs), substances in radiation management areas are frequently transported inside or outside the plant. During loading of substances in the radiation management area onto the vehicle, the transport workers (including driver) are located outside the radiation management area. And also the exposure dose of transport workers is managed by using Automatic Dose Reader (ADR). However, the exposure dose of transport workers managed by NPP licensee is limited to the exposure caused by the transport actions required by the plant. This means that radiation exposure caused by the transport of radioactive materials carried out separately by individual transport workers other than the plant requirements cannot be managed. Therefore, even if the NPP licensee manages the transport worker’s dose below 6 mSv, it is difficult to guarantee that the total annual exposure dose, including the transport worker’s individual transport behavior, is less than 6 mSv. Therefore, it would be appropriate to manage the dose of the transport worker by the transport worker’s agency rather than by the NPP licensee.

In 2022, the Korean Ministry of Environment designated Parthenium hysterophorus as an ecosystem-disturbing plant. The purpose of this study was to present a management plan for P. hysterophorus considering its distribution, morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics, and to introduce various control techniques. P. hysterophorus is native to Central America and occurs in about 45 countries worldwide. However, in Korea, it only grows in some areas of Tongyeong and Changwon, Gyeongsangnam Province. P. hysterophorus is an annual plant and spreads by seeds, moves between countries in the process of importing and/or exporting agricultural seeds, and spreads by agricultural machinery and vehicles after introduction. P. hysterophorus releases parthenin, an allelochemical that suppresses the occurrence of the surrounding vegetation, from its stems and roots. In addition, P. hysterophorus causes damage to humans and livestock through various allergens. P. hysterophorus can be controlled by physical methods, such as cutting its stems or pulling roots, and by treatment with non-selective herbicides, such as glyphosate. Many biological control research studies have been conducted and, unfortunately, there is no a practical solution so far.

The decommissioning of nuclear power plant (NPP) consists of various activities, such system decontamination, take out of activated components, segmentation of the activated components, site remediation, etc. During various activities, the generation of radioactive wastes and radiation exposure to workers is expected. The systematic waste management during the activities is important to implement the decommissioning. The inefficient waste management usually bring significant delay in decommissioning process and results in increase of decommissioning cost. The radiation exposure management is also an important issue. It is generally accepted that the hot spot, generated from operation and decommissioning of NPP, is observed in many places within containment building. Although the health physicists measure the radiation in various points, the unintended hot spots are sometimes generated and observed. The effective radiation exposure management also requires the control of personnel and space during various activities. In this study, the radiation exposure and waste management experiences of Zion NPP is reviewed. The primary nuclides and radiation exposure during various activities are systematically studied to achieve the main objectives of this paper.

Solid radioactive waste such as rubble, trimmed trees, contaminated soil, metal, concrete, used protective clothing, secondary waste, etc. are being generated due to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident occurred on March 11, 2011. Solid radioactive waste inside of Fukushima NPP is estimated to be about 790,000 m3. The solid radioactive waste includes combustible rubble, trimmed trees, and used protective clothing, and is about 290,000 m3. These will be incinerated, reduced to about 20,000 m3 and stored in solid waste storage. The radioactive waste incinerator was completed in 2021. About 60,000 m3 of rubble containing metal and concrete with a surface dose rate of 1 mSv/h or higher will be stored without reduction treatment. Metal with a surface dose rate of 1 mSv/h or less are molten, and concrete undergoes a crushing process. About 60,000 m3 of contaminated soil (0.005 ~1 mSv/h) will be managed in solid waste storage without reduction treatment. The amount of secondary waste generated during the treatment of contaminated water is about 6,500 huge tanks, and additional research is being conducted on future treatment methods.

Lactuca scariola L. is one of ecosystem-disturbance plants that grow everywhere such as roadsides, grasslands, railroads, banks, and fields. L. scariola usually occurs in autumn. It overwinters in rosette form. It flowers and produces seeds in early summer of the next year. Seeds of L. scariola can germinate immediately without dormancy when the temperature is over 20°C. Due to endogenous bacteria in seeds of L. scariola, it has a strong drought tolerance. Thus, it can grow well on roadsides. L. scariola should be controlled as it can result in 60-80% of soybean yield loss at densities above 50 plants m-2. It is advisable to remove L. scariola as it competes with native plants by acting as a pioneer to other ecosystem-disturbance plants. Among various control methods, chemical control is the most effective method that is widely used. Soil treatment with herbicides such as oxyfluorfen EC and pendimethalin EC can inhibit the development of L. scariola. Foliar treatment herbicides glyphosate and glufosinateammonium are widely used. L. scariola is resistant to 2,4-D, dicamba, and MCPA among foliar treatment herbicides. Thus, it is recommended to apply herbicides with different modes of action.

The decommissioning of nuclear power plant (NPP) generates large amount of waste. Since the most of the concretes are slightly surface contaminated, the accurate characterization and regionspecific surface decontamination are important for the efficient waste management. After the effective surface decontamination and separation, most of the concrete waste from decommissioning of NPP can be classified as a clearance waste. Various surface characterization and decontamination technologies are suggested. The mechanical technologies are simple and offers direct application. The laser-based technologies offer efficient separation and surface contamination. The high price, however, hesitates the application of the process. The nitro-jet technology, which is based on the evaporation of liquid nitrogen, allows the effective decontamination. However, the high price and uncertainty of large are application hinders the practical application in NPP decommissioning. In this paper, various technologies for characterization, handling, treatment, etc., will be discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of the technologies will be discussed, in terms of practical applications.

The Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, which was caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, is of great concern to the Korean people. The scope of interest is wide and diverse, from the nuclear accident itself and the damage situation, to the current situation in Fukushima Prefecture and Japan, and to the safety of Japanese agricultural and fishery products. Concerns about nuclear safety following the Fukushima nuclear accident have a significant impact on neighboring nation’s energy policy. It has been 11 years since the Fukushima nuclear accident. In neighboring nation society, the nature and extent of damage caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident, the feasibility of follow-up measures at home and abroad, the impact on neighboring nations, and the direction of nuclear policy reflecting the lessons of the accident are hotly debated topics. Recently, the controversy has grown further as it is intertwined with Japan’s concerns about the safety and discharge of the contaminated water into the sea, and conflicts over domestic nuclear power policies. About 1.29 million tons, as of March 24, 2022, of the contaminated water are generated, which is close to the 1.37 million tons of water storage capacity. In response, the Japanese government announced on April 13, 2021, that it plans to discharge the contaminated water into the sea from 2023. This study evaluates the amount of the contaminated water that has passed through the ALPS and reviews the preparations and related facilities for ocean discharge after diluting the contaminated water. In addition, it is intended to forecast the various impacts of ocean discharge.

The establishment of processes for the decommissioning a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is one of the objects that must be prepared in carrying out the decommissioning project. In particular, in the domestic situation, where there is no experience of decommissioning commercial NPPs, it is necessary to organize the tasks and contents well in advance for the successful initiation of the project. Therefore, this study intends to present a guide-level approach to develop management for domestic decommissioning projects. As a documented template for recognizing a process, there may be a process map and description, and information such as the work structure and the relations between the activities should be indicated. In reality, activities will be managed through a set of computer system, so it would be better if the work content, activity flow, relation, management target information, computerization contents, etc. were materialized in the process. What is important here is to define the management areas and activities and draw the activity flow. Domestically, it has rich experience in construction of NPPs and has a track record of exporting NPPs to the UAE. From these experiences, we have established a framework for standardized work in construction management and construction processes, and are performing them through a computerized system. Since the work of decommissioning has a similar nature to that of construction, we will be able to benchmark the procedure for the decommissioning from the construction management procedures. Typically, in the case of schedule management, the concept and structure of the construction process will be applicable to the decommissioning. Meanwhile, the licensee of domestic decommissioning is the same as the licensee that performs the operation, and the members who will perform the decommissioning also have experience working in the operation period. Therefore, the decommissioning works are an extension of the task during operation. Representatively, there are some processes that can be applied as it is even when decommissioning, such as dismantling work and the safety management process of the radiation zone. Therefore, in carrying out the decommissioning of NPPs in Korea, processes and activities of the management area should be established from the construction processes with abundant experience and the processes during operation. Rather than making a completely new work process, this approach that properly reflects the existing work flow is expected to be an appropriate way to avoid the repulsion of employees and maladjustment to the new environment.