The treatment process for Spent Filter(SF) of Kori-1 was developed that includes the following : 1) Taking out by robot system 2) Screening by ISOCS 3) Collection of representative samples using a sampling machine 4) Compression 5) Immobilization 6) Packaging and nuclide analysis and 7) Delivery/disposal. Although the robot system, ISOCS, sampling machine and immobilization facility are essentially required for building the above processing but decision to build the compression system and nuclide analysis system must be made after reviewing the need and cost benefit for their construction. In addition, for effcient SF treatment, it is necessary to determine the nuclide concentration range of the SF to which immobilization will be applied. In this study, a cost benefit analysis was performed on existing and alternative methods for processes related to compression treatment, nuclide analysis and immobilization methods, which are greatly affected by economics and efficiency according to the design. First, although the disposal cost is reduced with reducing the number of packaging drums by compressed and packaged but the expected benefits not be equal to or greater than the cost invested in building a compression system. As a result, non-compressed treatment of SF is expected to be economical because the construction cost of compression system is more expensive than the benefits of reducing disposal costs by compression. Second, a cost benefit analysis of direct and indirect nuclide analysis methods was performed. For indirect analysis, scaling factors should be developed and the drum scanner suitable for the analysis for DAW should be improved. As a result, direct analysis applied grouping options is expected to be more economical than indirect analysis requiring the cost for developing scaling factors and improving the scanner. Third, it is timeconsuming and inefficient to distinguish and collect filters that are subject to be immobilized according to the waste acceptance criteria among the disorderly stored SFs in the filter rooms. If the benefits of immobilization of the SFs selectively are not greater than the benefits of immobilization of all SFs, it can be economical to immobilize all SFs regardless of the nuclide concentration of them. As a result, it is more economical to immobilize all SFs with various nuclide concentrations than to selectively immobilize them. The conclusion of this study is that it is not only cost-effective but also disposal-effective to design the treatment process of SF to adopt non-compressed processing, direct analysis and immobilization of all SFs.

Since 1996, spent filters from the Kori unit 1 have been stored in enclosed areas such as the auxiliary building filter room. To dispose of these spent filters at a disposal facility, it is necessary to retrieve and package them according to the disposal criteria. The Kori unit 1 filter room is a 2.5- meter deep hole with 227 spent filters stored indiscriminately by type and radiation level. Furthermore, the exposure dose rate measurements revealed exceed 10 mSv/h, making it a challenging environment for workers. Therefore, in this study, we have developed a ‘Remote Processing System for Spent Filter Handling’ to minimize worker exposure and ensure safety throughout the entire process, from filter retrieval to radiation measurement, sample collection, compression, and packaging. We have completed performance testing through laboratory validation. The ‘Remote Processing System for Spent Filter Handling’ consists of four main components: a robot system for retrieving spent filters from the filter room, a transfer mechanism for moving spent filters to the lower area, a core ring device for sample collection, and finally, a compression/ packaging unit. The laboratory validation performance testing was conducted by installing these devices in a structure simulating the Gori-1 reactor filter room. The results confirmed that all processes, from spent filter retrieval to packaging, can be remotely operated without the need for filter drops or worker intervention. Through the laboratory validation, some areas for improvement were identified. These improvements should be taken into consideration when producing the system for future on-site applications.

Air conditioning facilities in nuclear power plants use pre-filters, HEPA filters, activated carbon filters, and bag filters to remove radionuclides and other harmful substances in the atmosphere. Spent filters generate more than 100 drums per year per a nuclear power plant and are stored in temporary radioactive waste storage. Plasma torch melting technology is a method that can dramatically reduce volume by burning and melting combustible, non-flammable, and mixed wastes using plasma jet heat sources of 1,600°C or higher and arc Joule heat using electric energy, which is clean energy. KHNP CRI & KPS are developing and improving waste treatment technology using MW-class plasma torch melting facilities to stably treat and reduce the volume of radioactive waste. This study aims to develop an operation process to reduce the volume of bag filter waste generated from the air conditioning system of nuclear power plants using plasma torch melting technology, and to stably treat and dispose of it. It is expected to secure stability and reduce treatment costs of regularly generated filter waste treatment, and contribute to the export of radioactive waste treatment technology by upgrading plasma torch melting technology in the future.

In this study, the process of compressing/packaging the spent filters of Kori Unit 1, which was conceptually presented in the previous study, is advanced so that disposal suitability for each step can be secure efficiently. In particular, the differences between the previous study and this study are that the disposable filters are screened using an In-Situ Object Counting System (ISOCS), and the method of collecting representative samples for development of scaling factor is specified. The process of compressing/packaging the spent filters consists of 7 stages as follows. 1) Collecting: The spent filters temporarily stored in the filter room are collected by dose and type remotely using a robot system to minimize the radiation exposure of workers according to a pre-established packaging plan. 2) Screening: The gamma activity concentration of the spent filters received by the robot system is measured by ISOCS. The spent filters below the low-level waste concentration limit and the surface dose are transferred into the compression system, while the others are returned in the filter room again. 3) Sampling: The external perforator drilling/cutting the filter was developed for sampling required for the new scaling factors. Since the sampling is collected remotely, the risk of exposure to workers can be reduced. The newly developed scaling factor will be used to verify the disposal suitability of the packages. 4) Compression: According to the pre-established plan, the spent filter collected by dose and type, is supplied to the compression system considering the dose and radionuclide inventory. Whether to additionally store the compressed filter in the drum is determined by checking the accumulated dose. 5) Immobilization: Immobilization with a safety material is necessary when inhomogeneous wastes, like spent filters, have the total radionuclide concentration with a half-life of more than 20 years is 74,000 Bq/g or more and for filling rate or non-dispersible treatment of particulates. 6) Packaging and Analysis: Waste information is labelled onto the package after the measurements of surface dose rate and surface contamination. Finally, using the drum assay system, the gamma radionuclide concentration is measured to identify at least 95% of the total radioactivity concentration of the package. 7) Temporary Storage and Delivery: The packages are moved to temporary storage in the plant prior to disposal. After establishing the plan for delivery and applying for a takeover request to KORAD, if the acceptance inspection is passed, the packages are transported to the disposal facility.

There are generally two kinds of spent filter; one is spent filter media for mainly gaseous purification such as HEPA filter, the other is spent filter cartridge for liquid purification such as CVCS BRS cartridge type filter. The spent filter cartridge from liquid purification system has been storing in special shielding space in auxiliary building in NPPs since the beginning of 2006 according to the long term storage strategy for decaying short lived radionuclide and gaining the time for selecting practical treatment technology before final packaging. The spent filter cartridges generated Kori-1 reactor vary in their sizes as in length from 913 mm to 290 mm and range in radiation level from several hundred mSv per hour to below mSv per hour . It is high time that the spent filter cartridge is treated and packaged because LILW repository in Wolsung area is operating and Kori-1 reactor is scheduled to decommission. The spent filter cartridge is one of the wet solid wastes required of solidification. It is difficult for the spent filter cartridge to solidify because of their shape, structure, physical and chemical characteristics in addition to having high radiation level. NSSC notice defines that solidification of wet solid wastes include that solid material such as spent filter is encapsulated with cement, etc. as a form of macro-encapsulation. The radioactive waste acceptance criteria describes that non-homogeneous waste having above 74,000 Bq/g such as spent filter, dry active waste should be encapsulated with qualified material. Homogeneous waste such as spent resin, sludge, concentrated waste (liquid waste evaporator bottoms), etc. should be solidified complied with requirements except that spent filter which is allowed to encapsulate. It is needed to guide to the practice of these two requirements for spent filter. The sampling and test method is different between homogeneous solidification waste form and spent filter cartridge encapsulation waste form. For example, how core sample can be taken and how void space can be measured among spent filter cartridge in encapsulation waste form. The technical evaluation report for spent filter cartridge polymer encapsulation by US NRC has been reviewed and the technical position of US NRC was identified. As a result of review, improvement fields of waste acceptance criteria for spent filters are pointed out, and the technical position of US NRC for spent filter cartridge solidification is summarized. The recommendation on improvement directions for spent filter cartridge encapsulation is suggested.

Spent filters with a high radiation dose rate of 2 mSv·hr−1 or more are not easily managed. So far, the Korean policy for spent filter disposal is to store them temporarily at nuclear power plants until the waste filters can be easily managed. Nuclear power plant decommissioning in Korea is starting with Kori unit 1. Volume reduction of waste generated during decommissioning can reduce the cost and optimize the space usage at disposal site. Therefore, efficient volume reduction is a very important factor during the decommissioning process. A conceptual method, based on the experiences of developing 200 and 800 ton compactors at Orion EnC, has been developed considering worker exposure with the followings a crusher (upgrade of compaction efficiency), an automatic dose measuring system with a NaI(Tl) detector, a shield box, an inner drum to prepare for easy handling of drums and packaging, a 30 ton compactor, and an automatic robot system. This system achieves a volume reduction ratio of up to 85.7%; hence, the system can reduce the disposal cost and waste volume. It can be applied to other types of wastes that are not easily managed due to high dose rates and remote control operation necessity.

The spent filters stored in Kori Unit 1 are planned that compressed and disposed for volume reduction. However, shielding reinforcement is required to package high-dose spent filters in a 200 L drum. So, in this study suggests a shielding thickness that can satisfy the surface dose criteria of 10 mSv·h−1 when packaging several compressed spent filters into 200 L drums, and the number of drums required for the compressed spent filter packaging was calculated. In this study, representative gamma-emitting nuclides in spent filter are assumed that Co-60 and Cs-137, and dose reduction due to half-life is not considered, because the date of occurrence and nuclide information of the stored spent filter are not accurate. The shielding material is assumed to be concrete, and the thickness of the shielding is assumed to 18 cm considering the diameter of the spent filter and compression mold. Considering the height of the compressed spent filter and the internal height of the shielding drum, assuming the placement of the compressed spent filter in the drum in the vertical direction only, the maximum number of packaging of the compressed spent filter is 3. When applying a 18 cm thick concrete shield, the maximum dose of the spent filter can packaged in the drum is 125 mSv·h−1, so when packaging 3 spent filters of the same dose, the dose of a spent filter shall not exceed 41 mSv·h−1 and not exceed 62 mSv·h−1when packing 2 spent filters. Therefore, the dose ranges of spent filters that can be packaged in a drum are classified into three groups: 0–41 mSv·h−1, 41–62 mSv·h−1, and 62–125 mSv·h−1based on 41 mSv·h−1, 62 mSv·h−1, and 125 mSv·h−1. When 227 spent filters stored in the filter room are classified according to the above dose group, 207, 3 and 4 spent filters are distributed in each group, and the number of shielding drums required to pack the appropriate number of spent filters in each dose group is 75. Meanwhile, 8 spent filters exceeding 125 mSv·h−1 and 5 spent filters that has without dose information are excluded from compression and packaging until the treatment and disposal method are prepared. In the future, we will segmentation of waste filter dose groups through the consideration of dose reduction and horizontal placement of compressed spent filters, and derive the minimum number of drums required for compressed spent filter packaging.

Currently, treatment and disposal suitability verification methods have not been established for radioactive waste, such as spent filters temporarily stored in each plant, so the WCP (Waste Certification Program) can be applied to verify the suitability of non-conforming waste at the site. In this study, WCP components such as certification organizations, certification methods, certification documents, and quality assurance (QA) plan that should be considered when developing WCP applicable to spent filter disposal were reviewed and presented. First, a certification organization consists of a certification organization that performs certification work, a certification support organization related to waste generation and treatment, and a quality control organization for waste certification. Especially, the support organization should support the implementation of WCP, so that spent filter processing procedures such as generation information management and immobilization can be properly packaged and transported. Second, in identifying the waste characteristics of the certification method, each characteristic identification procedure and certification method of the acceptance criteria should be described, evidence examining the suitability of general, radiological, physical, chemical, and biological requirements, and processes related to measurement and sampling should be established. In identifying characteristics, satisfaction of waste form, free water requirements, and whether it is subject to immobilization should be checked priorly, and a method of confirming particulate matter and securing filling rate when packaging compressed filters should be included. It is very important to develop a technology for verifying the safety and quality of the immobilized material because immobilization of the filters can be a processing method that satisfies various characteristic criteria. Meanwhile, it is essential to collect samples and develop scaling factors to identify the nuclides of filters and prove that they are below the concentration limits. For chemical and biological requirements, the characteristics are identified through generation information documents, corrective actions are taken and documented in case of nonconformance. Third, certification documents should include immobilization procedure manual, characteristic report, and characteristic test manuals such as free water, particulate matter and filling rate, radiation measurement method manual for packages, profile, and generation documents. Fourth, the QA plan should analyze the QA system of the plants, check the QA inspection details, establish general requirements for QA of spent filter disposal, and specify step-by-step certification work QA activities. In this study, considerations to ensure the disposal suitability at all stages from generation to disposal of spent filter were presented, and development of a WCP could contribute to preventing nonconformance.

Currently, in domestic nuclear power plants (NPP), the spent filters (SFs) used for the purpose of reducing and purifying the radiation of the primary cooling water system are temporarily stored in an untreated state. In order to dispose of SFs, radioactive nuclide analysis (RNA) of SFs is required to be conducted. As segmented gamma scanner (SGS) is already being used in Kori NPP, utilizing SGS for RNA of SFs would be practical and economical. In this paper, factors required to be considered to improve accuracy of SGSs for RNA of SFs are studied. The analysis of the nuclide inventory of the packaging drum for radioactive waste should be performed by the indirect drum nuclide analysis method. The material of the SFs is iron (SS304) on the outside, and paper on the inside. In addition, to meet disposal acceptance criteria, radioactive waste drums are packaged in thick grouting or shielding drums. Therefore, it is necessary to derive an appropriate correction method for high inhomogeneity and thick media. Considering these factors, evaluating radionuclides inventory plans to measure gamma rays in SGS mode. Correct the gamma ray measurement by examining the medium attenuation factor and error factors. In this way, the inventory of gamma nuclides is calculated, and the specific radioactivity of beta ray and alpha particle emitting nuclides other than gamma rays is planned to be calculated by applying scaling factors.

한국원자력연구원 방사성폐기물 저장시설에는 2006년 기준으로 약 1,000 여개(200L 환산)의 폐필터가 저장중이며, 그 발생량은 계속 증가하는 추세에 있다. 현재 저장시설의 저장 공간 확보뿐만 아니라 폐필터의 효율적인 관리를 위하여 비닐 백에 넣어 저장 및 관리되고 있는 폐필터들을 적절한 압축 처리 과정을 거쳐 최종적으로 규격화된 드럼에 포장하려는 계획을 가지고 있다. 이를 위해, 먼저 과거 발생이력을 조사함으로서 저장중인 폐필터들의 분류를 통한 그룹화를 수행하였다. 또한 드럼포장을 위해서는 사전에 핵종평가가 수행되어야 하며, 그 방법으로는 폐필터의 해체 없이 표면선량률을 측정하여 대표시료를 채취하며, 이 시료에 대하여 방사성폐기물 인도규정에서 요구하는 수준의 핵종분석을 수행할 것이다. 그리고 드럼포장을 위해, 방사성폐기물 처리시설에서 개발된 폐필터 처리장치를 이용하여 직육면체 형의 폐필터를 원주형 성형을 함으로서 드럼에 넣은 후, 최종적으로 수직 압축함으로써 폐필터를 처리하고자 한다.