In 2012, POSIVA selected a bentonite-based (montmorillonite) block/pellet as the backfilling solution for the deposition tunnel in the application for a construction license for the deep geological repository of high-level radioactive waste in Finland. However, in the license application (i.e. SC-OLA) for the operation submitted to the Finnish Government in 2021, the design for backfilling was changed to a granular mixture consisting of bentonite (smectite) pellets crushed to various sizes, based on NAGRA’s buffer solution. In this study, as part of the preliminary design of the deep geological repository system in Korea, we reviewed history and its rationale for the design change of Finland’s deposition tunnel backfilling solution. After the construction license was granted by the Finnish Government in 2015, POSIVA conducted various lab- and full-scale in-situ tests to evaluate the producibility and performance of two design alternatives (i.e. block/pellet type and granular type) for backfilling. Principal demonstration tests and their results are summarized as follows: (a) Manufacturing of blocks using three types of materials (Friedland, IBeco RWC, and MX-80): Cracking and jointing under higher pressing loads were found. Despite adjusting the pressing process, similar phenomena were observed. (b) 1:6 scale experiment: Confirmation of density difference inhomogeneity due to the swelling of block/pellet backfill and void filling due to swelling behavior into the mass loss area of block/pellet. (c) FISST (Full-Scale In situ system Test): Identification of technical unfeasibility due to the inefficient (too manual) installation process of blocks/pellets and development of an efficient granular in-situ backfilling solution to resolve the disadvantage. (d) LUCOEX-FE (Large Underground Concept Experiments – Full-scale Emplacement) experiment: Confirmation of dense/homogeneous constructability and performance of granular backfilling solution. In conclusion, the simplified granular backfill system is more feasible compared to the block/ pellet system from the perspective of handling, production, installation, performance, and quality control. It is presumed that various experimental and engineering researches should be preceded reflecting specific disposal conditions even though these results are expected to be applied as key data and/or insights for selecting the backfilling solution in the domestic deep geological repository.

The thermal evaluations for the conceptual design of the deep geological repository considering the improved modeling of the spent fuel decay heat were conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics computational program. The maximum temperature at the surface of a disposal canister for the technical design requirement should not exceed 100°C. However, the peak temperature at the canister surface should not exceed 95°C considering the safety margin of 5°C due to several uncertainties. All thermal evaluations were based on the time-dependent simulation from the emplacement time of the canister to 100,000 years later. In particular, the heat source condition was set to the decay heat rate and axial decay heat profile of the PLUS7 fuel with 4.0wt% U-235 and 45 GWD/MTU. The thermal properties of the granitic rock in South Korea were applied to the host rock region. For the reference design case, the cooling time of the SNF was set to 40 years, the distance between the deposition holes 8 meters and that between the deposition tunnels 30 meters. However, the peak temperature at the canister surface at 10 years was 95.979°C greater than 95°C. This design did not meet the thermal safety requirement and needed to be modified. For the first modified case, when the distance between the deposition tunnels was set to 30 meters, three cooling time cases of 40, 50 and 60 years and five distances of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 meters between the deposition holes were considered. The design with the distances of 9 and 10 meters between the deposition holes for the cooling time of 40 years and all five distances for 50 and 60 years were less than 95°C. For the second modified case, when the distance between the deposition holes was set to 8 meters, three cooling time cases of 40, 50 and 60 years and five distances of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 meters between the deposition tunnels were considered. The design with the distances of 35 and 40 meters between the deposition tunnels for the cooling time of 40 years, the distances of 25, 30, 35 and 40 meters for 50 years and all five distances for 60 years were less than 95°C. As a result, the peak temperature at the canister surface decreased as the cooling time and the distance between the deposition holes and the tunnels increased.

Spent nuclear fuel management is a high-priority issue in South Korea, and addressing it is crucial for the country’s long-term energy sustainability. The KORAD (Korea Radioactive Waste Agency) is leading a comprehensive, long-term project to develop a safe and effective deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel disposal. Within this framework, we have three primary objectives in this work. First, we conducted statistical analysis to assess the inventory of spent nuclear fuel in South Korea as of 2021. We also projected future generation rates of spent nuclear fuels to identify what we refer to as reference spent nuclear fuels. These reference spent nuclear fuels will be used as the design basis spent fuels for evaluating the safety of the repository. Specifically, we identified four types of design basis reference spent nuclear fuels: high and low burnup from PLUS7 (with a 16×16 array) and ACE7 (with a 17×17 array) assemblies. Second, we analyzed radioactive nuclides’ inventory, activities, and decay heats, extending up to a million years after reactor discharge for these reference spent nuclear fuels. This analysis was performed using SCALE/TRITON to generate the burnup libraries and SCALE/ORIGEN for source term evaluation. Third, to assess the safety resulted from potential radioactive nuclides’ release from the disposal canister in future work, we selected safety-related radionuclides based on the ALI (Annual Limit of Intake) specified in Annex 3 of the 2019-10 notification by the NSSC (Nuclear Safety and Security Commission). Conservative assumptions were made regarding annual water intake by humans, canister design lifetime, and aquifer flow rates. A safety margin of 10-3 of the ALI was applied. We selected 56 radionuclides that exceed the intake limits and have half-lives longer than one year as the safety-related radionuclides. However, it is crucial to note that our selection criteria focused on ALI and half-lives. It did not include other essential factors such as solubility limits, distribution coefficients, and leakage processes. So, some of these nuclides can be removed in a specific analysis area depending on their properties.

Spent nuclear fuel still emits radionuclides and high heat that are dangerous to humans. In order to permanently isolate such spent nuclear fuel from human living areas, research is underway to construct a deep disposal system (500 m underground bedrock) consisting of natural and engineering barriers. In this study, plugs, which are engineering barriers consisting of disposal containers, buffer, backfill and plugs were investigated. The plug is one of the engineered barriers made of concrete to block the outflow of radioactive materials and the ingress of organisms, through the tunnel crosssection seals that are eventually discarded. General concrete leachate has a pH of 12.5 or higher and is highly alkaline, which induces dissolution of SiO2 components contained in the buffer and backfill. Dissolved SiO2 causes precipitation and cementation on the surface of the buffer and backfill, reducing performance. Therefore, the use of low-ph concrete is essential for deep, high-level waste disposal sites. Currently, Finland, Sweden, France, Switzerland, etc. have proposed low-ph concrete mix design and performance standards. For example, in Finland, cement, silica fume and fly ash are used as binders and the compressive strength is 50 MPa or more, and the leachate pH is 11 or less. In this research, test specimen fabrication and physical property tests (strength, pH) were performed based on mix design, proposed in Finland, Sweden, France and Switzerland. A cubic (50 mm×50 mm×50 mm) and a cylinder (Ø100 mm×200 mm) specimens were fabricated. Cubic and cylinder were made of mortar and concrete, respectively, depending on whether they included coarse aggregate. General concrete strength shows the characteristic that 70 to 80% of the 28th day of the second order appears on the 14th day of the second order and converges after the 28th day. As a result of mortar strength property evaluation, it increased by 30% from 90th to 28th. pH characterization was evaluated according to the powder dissolution method (ESL method) and leaching method (Leachate, EPA 1315) on cubic (mortar) and cylindrical (concrete) specimens, respectively. Mortar ph was measured at 9.78, a decrease of up to 20% from 90 days to 7 days. The physical property evaluation of concrete is currently underway and shows a trend of increasing strength and decreasing pH according to age. Consequently, we aim to present a low-ph concrete mix design for domestic highlevel radioactive waste disposal sites.

Since July 2021, the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency has been conducting a safety case development study for the Korean deep geological repository program. The safety case includes generating scenarios in which radioactive materials from spent nuclear fuel repository reach the human biosphere by combining selective FEPs (Features, Events, and Processes). This safety case should be able to transparently explain the process in which conclusions have been drawn not only to stakeholders but also to the public by presenting safety arguments. The scenario development stage consisting of FEP screening, scenario generation, and uncertainty analysis procedures should have a database management system. Database management system was performed in countries such as Sweden, which obtained approval for the construction of spent nuclear fuel repositories, and the United States, where various preliminary research was carried out. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute also has experience in designing and operating its own database, which has conducted preliminary research on disposal of the spent nuclear fuel. Currently, the safety assessment of the Korean spent nuclear fuel repository is in the early stages of research, but it is necessary to set up a basic framework for database design while the collection of FEP data from domestic and international preliminary studies is under development, and it is advantageous for efficient database construction and operation. Therefore, this paper presents the current status of database design considering completeness and transparency from the FEP screening stage to the scenario development stage in the safety assessment process of the Korean spent nuclear fuel repository. In this process, the functional requirements that the database should provide, the database schema capable of implementing them, and simple examples are presented together. The objectives of this database design are flexible FEPs management, high integrity and consistency, and expandability for linking with the safety case database. The FEP data to be inputted into the database includes a list of major opened FEPs, including International FEPs from Nuclear Energy Agency, which were referred for PFEPs (Project-specific FEPs), and PFEPs applied to POSIVA's Olkiluoto repository. As an additional function, queries from the database are used to visually express the process of deriving scenarios through Rock Engineering System, a widely known scenario generation methodology.

제8차 전력수급기본계획에 근거하여 현재 운영중이거나 계획중인 원자력발전소에서 발생할 사용후핵연료의 양과 특성을 추정하였다. 본 연구에서 고려된 특성은 핵연료집합체에 대한 제원, 핵연료봉 배열, 235U 초기 농축도, 방출연소도, 냉각기간이다. 이들은 사용후핵연료 처분시스템을 설계하는데 필수적인 항목이다. 2082년까지 가압경수로 사용후핵연료의 예상발 생량은 약 62,500 다발로 추정되었다. 2018년 말까지 발생한 사용후핵연료 중 상대적으로 길이가 짧은 웨스팅하우스형 원전 연료가 약 60%, 상대적으로 길이가 50 cm 정도 긴 한국형 원전 연료가 약 40%를 차지하였다. 235U 초기 농축도 4.5 wt% 이 하를 갖는 사용후핵연료의 비율은 전체 발생량의 약 90%를 차지하였으며, 방출연소도는 98%의 물량이 55 GWd/tU 이하로 나타났다. 2077년을 기준으로 웨스팅하우스형 원전에서 발생한 사용후핵연료의 냉각기간은 50년 이상이 97% 정도를 차지하였으며, 본 논문에서 가정한 처분 완료시점인 2125년을 기준으로 한국형 원전에서 발생한 사용후핵연료의 냉각기간은 45 년 이상이 98% 정도를 차지하는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 효율적인 처분시스템 설계를 위해 기준 사용후 핵연료는 제원적 특성을 고려하여 두 가지 형태로 설정하였으며, 웨스팅하우스형 원전 연료의 경우, 집합체 제원으로 KSFA, 초기 농축도 4.5 wt%, 방출연소도 55 GWd/tU, 냉각기간 50년으로, 한국형 원전 연료의 경우, 집합체 제원으로 PLUS7, 초기 농축도 4.5 wt%, 방출연소도 55 GWd/tU, 냉각기간 45년으로 설정하였다.

본 연구에서는 고준위 방사성폐기물 심지층 처분시설의 규모 및 layout설정에 필요한 요소인 처분터널 및 처분공 간격에 대한 분석을 수행하였다. 이를 위하여, 기준 처분개념과 공학적 방벽 개념을 바탕으로 다양한 조건의 처분터널 및 처분공 단면을 설정하고, 단층 배치 및 복층 배치 개념 에 따른 처분동굴의 구조적, 열적 안정성을 분석하였다. 분석 결과를 바탕으로 설계에 있어서 주요한 고려인자 중의 하나인 굴착량을 감소시킬 수 있는 처분동굴 및 처분공 간격을 제안하였다. 본 연구의 결과는 심지층 처분시설 설계시 활용될 것이며, 향후, 부지에 대한 불확실성을 줄이기 위하여 정확한 부지특성 자료를 통한 상세한 분석이 필요하다.