To ensure the safety of disposal facilities for radioactive waste, it is essential to quantitatively evaluate the performance of the waste disposal facilities by using safety assessment models. This paper addresses the development of the safety assessment model for the underground silo of Wolseong Low-and Immediate-Level Waste (LILW) disposal facility in Korea. As the simulated result, the nuclides diffused from the waste were kept inside the silo without the leakage of those while the integrity of the concrete is maintained. After the degradation of concrete, radionuclides migrate in the same direction as the groundwater flow by mainly advection mechanism. The release of radionuclides has a positive linear relationship with a half-life in the range of medium half-life. Additionally, the solidified waste form delays and reduces the migration of radionuclides through the interaction between the nuclides and the solidified medium. Herein, the phenomenon of this delay was implemented with the mass transfer coefficient of the flux node at numerical modeling. The solidification effects, which are delaying and reducing the leakage of nuclides, were maintained the integrity of the nuclides. This effect was decreased by increasing the half-life and the mass transfer coefficient of radionuclides.

The fundamental characteristics of groundwater colloids, such as composition, concentration, size, and stability, were analyzed using granitic groundwater samples taken from the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT) site by such analytical methods as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, field emission-transmission electron microscopy, a liquid chromatography-organic carbon detector, and dynamic light scattering technique. The results show that the KURT groundwater colloids are mainly composed of clay minerals, calcite, metal (Fe) oxide, and organic matter. The size and concentration of the groundwater colloids were 10–250 nm and 33–64 μg·L−1, respectively. These values are similar to those from other studies performed in granitic groundwater. The groundwater colloids were found to be moderately stable under the groundwater conditions of the KURT site. Consequently, the groundwater colloids in the fractured granite system of the KURT site can form stable radiocolloids and increase the mobility of radionuclides if they associate with radionuclides released from a radioactive waste repository. The results provide basic data for evaluating the effects of groundwater colloids on radionuclide migration in fractured granite rock, which is necessary for the safety assessment of a high-level radioactive waste repository.

The chelating agent and cellulose generated during the operating and decommissioning of a NPP’s form organic complexing compounds. That is accelerate the migration of radionuclide and have a bad influence of LILW disposal site. In this study, the GoldSim (RT module) program was used for the effects of radionuclide migration by organic complex compounds as described above. A scenario was derived for evaluation, and a conceptual design (Concept Art) of the GoldSim model was performed. 1) Derivation of the scenario. For the scenario, we selected a groundwater flow scenario in which groundwater flows in and radionuclides flow out after a lapse of time after the operation of the LILW disposal site in Gyeongju is closed. The inflowing groundwater comes into contact with radioactive waste and the radionuclides dissolve. The dissolved nuclides move past the drum and out of the disposal vessel due to the advection phenomenon. Radionuclides spilled from the disposal vessel pass through the silo internal filler (crushed stone) and reach the engineering barrier concrete. Radionuclides from degraded concrete are scenarios that move along the flow of groundwater to the near and far. 2) Radionuclide migration concept design. The radionuclide movement section was largely designed with Inner (Inside the silo), Near and Far. (A) Inner (Inside the silo) This section is where radionuclides move from the radiation source to the engineering barrier (silo). The detailed migration path was designed to allow radioactive nuclides to flow out and move to waste drums, solidified matrix of indrum, disposal vessel fillers, disposal vessels, silo fillers (crushed stones), and engineered barriers (concrete). The LILW disposal site in Gyeongju has a total of 6 silos. Each of the 6 silos was modeled and designed in consideration of the structural information and positional impact. (B) Near & Far. In generally design, the near is form source term to engineered barrier and far is beyond the engineered barrier. In this study, the near and far designed by radionuclide in the section from the beyond the engineering barrier (silo) to the sea through the groundwater flow through the natural rock. Especially in the case of near, the design was made by applying the position of the natural rock sampling drill hole.

본 연구에서는 KURT (KAERI 지하처분연구시설)를 포함한 지하연구시설에서 핵종 및 콜로이드 이동에 대 한 연구현황을 조사하였다. 화강암과 같은 결정질 암반층에 건설된 해외 지하연구시설들을 간략하게 소개하 고 비교하였다. 특히 Grimsel Test Site (GTS)와 ¨Asp¨o Hard Rock Laboratory에서의 핵종 및 콜로이드 이동연 구에 대한 주요 국제공동연구의 연구항목 및 내용, 진행중인 연구 프로젝트, 연구계획 등에 대해 조사하였다